Kiki The Healer
by Googala2
Summary: The Akatsuki are after a young woman with amazing powers, but she also bears secrets that may threaten their very lives. Still, they've got to love her... Better summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Summary: In the land of evil, war, blood-shed, and violence, a young woman with an amazing God-like gift seeks to live out a peaceful life exploring the beautiful world around her, though she is haunted by a demon. When her face and powers are discovered by the evil organization of rouge ninja called Akatsuki though, she is brutally thrown into a world of grief and death. Now, even though she has lost her freedom, with her compassionate and understanding heart...something begins to happen within the Akatsuki members that they do not intend. **

**Story Theme: Friendship/Hurt/Comfort—Possibly future Romance...**

**Rating: M for Gore, language, and adult themes...**

**Author's note: Hello everybody who is taking their time to read this Author's note. I'm writing this story because it keeps on bugging me to no end that I keep thinking of all these ideas and am not sharing them with anyone else. This is a sad story in many perspectives, so if you are easily depressed you may want to avoid reading this story until I get into the more enlightening parts of my tale.

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter One: Inner Struggles**

**'Hm...I see your grieving again little Kiki. Did another one of those filthy town's folk die again? Aw, Poor baby tisk, tisk. Well, what did you expect from a dirty ageing farmer? That you'd be able to save his life without using "that" power. Really now. How long will it take you to learn that no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you work, people will always die. And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing.'**

'Leave me alone, please. Not now. Please not now. I'm in so much pain, and I feel so cold inside. My body won't stop shaking and I think my heart is going to explode it's beating so hard. Please help me. Please.'

**'Ha! I told you didn't I...but no, you just had to be there to comfort the man when he died because you just couldn't bare the thought of him being all alone in a dark, cold room while he passed away. A farmer for goodness sakes. How pathetic. You know what? You're hopeless Kiki. That's why I've fallen so deeply in love with you. Suffering for the sake of others. You weren't meant to survive in this world. You're far too soft and forgiving. It fills me with such a deep sense of power. To feel the pains of the world crashing down on us in its sweet poisonous wrath. Oh my, are those tears? How sad...'**

'Why are you doing this to me? Just tell me why. All I wanted was for him to be happy while he passed away. I don't want to hurt like this, I really don't. I just didn't want him to be all alone. Not when he was dying. Why must I feel the way I feel whenever someone dies?'

**'Silly girl. You feel the way you do because you are too soft hearted, because you are too sensitive to the world around you, because you are weak. That is all. Nothing can change that. War, pain, and suffering. Until those have seized you shall forever be plagued by this sadness you feel now. Forever trapped within your grief.'**

'That's not true. I've felt happiness before. Many times. Like when I saved that puppy from drowning or that boy from hyperthermia. Remember how happy I had felt. I felt so content with myself; I thought I was going to cry from the feeling of...'

**'Saving their lives. Yes, yes I know that my love, but for every life you save there are hundreds more who are dying in their sted. You can't save them all. This is the way of the world my dearest Kiki...besides...didn't that boy you saved got beat to death by his own father two years later. Ha, ha, ha...'**

'Be quiet. Go away. Now!'

**'Fine. I'll give you some rope for now, but remember this and remember it well my little Kiki. As long as there is pain in the world you will always feel the weight of the world's grievances on your shoulders, and, as you sink lower into despair, I will be there in the darkest and farthest corners of your mine waiting to drown you in my sweet sorrows.'**

'Go away!'

**'As you wish my love. My little Kiki.'**

The sun was starting to rise over the snow capped mountain tops, spreading its tender warmth to the frosted white lands of the early morning below. The fields of high rising wheat sparkled and shone like beautiful cave dwelling diamonds in the sun's first light, and the air was chilled from the icy stink of the night's ghostly touch. The warmth of the ever climbing sun seemed to bring life to the land in so many ways, in particular, one lone woman lying amongst the field's bounties.

A beautiful woman she may have been, but in no way marked as unusually outstanding in appearance. Charming in its own rights. She had simple brown hair resting sloppily in a messy bun with short loose strains that curled around her siluet as she lay motionless between the frosted grains of the vast farm lands. Her hands were collapsed but tender, warm, and giving in the way of working mothers, though to her great grief, she had no such standing to have a child of her own. Unlike the many women of the lands around her, she did not attempt to hide the burdens of her labors. Gloves were not of importance to her because it represented what she wished to ignore, a covering to hide the flaws of the hands, in her case, the flaws of her past, present, and imminent future. Though she may not have been a flawless beauty, her eyes were rather spectacular, if a bit unnerving.

Plain brown eyes of no significance, that's what the untrained eye may see as they glance into her never ending shades of browns and blacks. To those who take the time to see what there is to be seen within the very depths of her eyes though, the unspeakable pain and grief that consumes her body, mind, and soul will become apparent to the beholder. Such is the way of the eyes...traders to the master's cause.

The woman was motionless, almost as if dead, but as the sun's warmth began to creep along her face through the spaces between the long grasses and grains she began to stir. First her eyes, red and swollen from the relentless tears that had obviously plagued her through the grim night, slowly and lazily scanned the surrounding frost fields before once again closing them in tiredness. Then her fingers began to curl and uncurl reflexively in their positions atop the woman's simple black blouse, lightly scratching at the folds at the base of the shirt.

**'You know Kiki...someone might take advantage of you if you lay about all day.'**

The woman suddenly bolted upright shaken and now uncharacteristically pissed off and glared at the nothingness before her. She dropped her hateful glare to the white coated ground and let a deep disgusted frown stretch at her tired face muscles. She mindlessly watched her warm breath become a whitish fog the floated from her in a haunting manner, and closed her eyes deep in thought.

'Not all men are like you.'

**'But they are my dear. That's what I've been trying to tell you for years. I am the remnants of all the greed, lust, hatred, desires, and all the other sins that lay firmly in the hearts of all men and woman. I am them in their purest forms. Without the restrictions of morals or self image and all those other things that mankind uses to hide their true nature. Disgusting creatures humans are. But not you my dearest Kiki. Never you. I could never understand why, but you never had any evil intentions to hide behind a mask. It's strange. That's why I love you so. Pity...that you couldn't harbor just a tad bit more hatred. Then I'd love you so much more.'**

'Quiet! You are in my mind and I do not wish to speak to you today.'

**'I'm hurt. Truly. Do you know what I do when I'm trapped in the back of your mind?'**

'Stop it!'

**'I fantasize what it would be like to taste your skin under my tongue, to feel you struggle beneath me, those thick locks in my hands. Oh Kiki, you're beautiful to me. Perfect.'**

'Leave me alone or I shall starve myself.'

**'As you wish. My little Kiki.'**

Kiki just sat on the ground motionless, taking in her surroundings, not willing herself to yet stand up and face the world. She was just so tired today. Still, she slowly stretched out all the little kinks and knots in her back, arms, and legs and got to her feet, despite the protest of her aching shoulders. Paying little attention to the aching that resided within her joints, she simply stretched out her fingers in the manner of receiving something until it suddenly began to glow a light shade of blue. She brought the glowing hand up to her chest and the light from her hand began to flow into her body.

She smiled to herself before looking back down at the ground where she found what she was looking for. Picking up a white hooded jacket, she slipped in on and inhaled the morning's cool, crisp air deeply. The pureness of the morning seemed to brighten her spirit. She never did mind the cold...morning cold in all respects. She couldn't stand the summer months though, and the thought of summer finally being over only made her feel even more contented with herself.

She did not dwell of her new found bliss though, for she never like to stay in one place for too long. It was just too risky. The longer she stayed in an area the easier it would be for trackers to find her. Not that she had committed a crime of some sort. No, of course not. She was too sensitive for that. It was her powers. Almost everyone who ever came to learn of her power wanted it for their own use. Villages, over lords, organizations, etc.

The thought of her amazing powers once again filled her with a sense of loss and despair. How could something so good be so bad at the same time? She looked down at a small Moon's water crystal dangling freely around her neck by a line of leather string and caressed it gently with her finger tips. It shone brightly in the sun's light and swayed slightly as Kiki held it up, by the rope, to her face. She aloud her eyes to once again close, and the corners of her eyes began to water.

**'Miss your mommy...'**

At hearing this thought entering her mind, Kiki grabbed the necklace crystal firmly in the palm of her hand and shoved it swiftly into the protection of her jacket, away from the sight of her eyes...and her inner demon's. She felt her eyes drop once again, but this time she did not frown for the world to see. In truth, she had no need to frown down upon such a beautiful land.

She was feeling much better now that the sun was rising and she was more awake. She just couldn't stand it when her demon started attacking her thoughts when she was too tired to think properly. It made it more difficult to think up ways to counter her demon's negativity towards everything around her. Sometimes her day would be completely ruined by her demon's assaults on her mind. Luckily, she was by nature a strong minded individual and though she did cry on rare occasions, it was merely a venting technique that prevented her from doing something rash.

Kiki gazed over the white fields, and wondered if this is what the moon looked like. Such silly ideas, she knew this to be so, but the need to imagine always made her days more bearable. The thought of heaven looking like the fields in which she stood also crossed her mind, but she quickly shook the idea from her mind. Heaven, from what she had heard, was supposed to be a place of white yes, but not a place of cold. It was suppose to be a warm place filled with joy, happiness, and comfort. A place in which she herself feared.

Kiki loved the cold, because it made her feel warm inside. She was always cold in the summer, and it made her feel empty inside. A feeling she did not like because it gave her inner demon more space to roam throughout her body. Something she truly appalled. Almost as much as war. To feel his claws digging relentlessly into her body...like he owned the place or something.

Sometimes the thought of death entered her mind. She could kill herself. She knew she could and end her torment from the hatful world around her. So that she'd never have to suffer from the loss of another again. To escape the constant abuse from her demon, but in the end of her thoughts, she was always too afraid to die. That's why she never took her own life. The fear of death. The thought of being in a place of such warmth, that she'd spend the rest of her life trapped inside the coldness of her own body. Not an appealing idea.

Though deep inside she knew...this idea of being cold forever was just an excuse to prevent herself from taking her own life. For not only had she heard of the place called heaven, but a place called hell as well. A horrid place, from what she recalled, and to make it worst, her inner demon often spoke of what it was like in hell. He would proudly claim that when he finally became strong enough, he would force her to kill herself by any means required and then drag her down into the deepest pits of Hell and give her the pleasure of experiencing every kind of pain there was. Her demon had told her that those who commit suicide never make it to heaven, and suicide was the only way that Kiki could ever end her immortal life. Kiki did not favor this outcome to death either.

Kiki cleared her mind of these thoughts and looked at the sun now just up over the mountains. For now she was alive in a time of great bliss...for her anyway. Fall was near its end, and winter was just around the corner. She could feel her heart lighten in a tightening sensation, though not an unpleasant one. She was happy today in a way that she rarely felt when her inner demon began to act up as it had been, and she intended to use this time to enjoy the beautiful land around her. Nothing would ruin her day...or so she thought.

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In a dark, ill-lit cave of luminescent glows and a deep overwhelming sense of bloodlust, sin, pain, and death stood the shadowed soul hollows of eight motionless figures all staring malice into the eyes of one another. The tension in the room was deafening and could be felt to any who were unfortunate enough to stumble into the fire zone of the shadows relentless glowers. The ever present dripping of the single droplets falling from the roof of the darkened cave did nothing to ease the gripping discomfort flooding in to the room from the unseen bodies of the shadowed figures.

"Sasori has died then?" From nowhere came an emotionless voice from one of the many restless shadows lingering throughout the wretched cave, though for some time the unmoved figures did not answer to the voice which had spoken to them.

"This is true, un. Maybe a bit late for my liking, but true nonetheless, yeah." Came the deep masculine voice of one of the many shadowed souls, though there was still no sign of remorse or distaste as he told this to the first voice to have spoken to the others.

A soft sinister chuckle echoed shamelessly through the damp cave as another of the soul shadows seemed to find a deep sense of mock humor in the death of one of their former comrades. There was no compassion spared to the member who had so recently passed away, only a sense of superiority over the fallen member. For now that he was marked as the first to go into the realm of the dead, those of the Akatsuki still breathing found great bliss in the ways of false pride. Rubbing their past failures onto the defenseless name of the fallen one, and cleansing their battered egos in the death of their former member.

"It is settled then...Hidan, Kakuzu. I've a new mission for you both. You will seek out the one known as The Healer of Mercy and bring him back to the Akatsuki to become the newest member. I will fill you in with the details now. The rest of you are dismissed." The first voice, the leader, commanded of his subordinates in his unchanging emotionless voice, and with a few shifts and flickers five of the eight shadow souls disappeared from the eerie cave leaving the leader, Hidan, and Kakuzu in their absence.

There was silence for some time until a slight chuckle, the one from before, once again echoed through the cave followed by an annoyed grunt from the second taller siluet beside the laughing one. "The Healer of Mercy, please. Fuck. You want to bring some fucken healer bastered into the Akatsuki. Leader, I think you've gone soft in the head."

"Silence Hidan."

"Fuck you Kakuzu!"

"Silence both of you." The leader commanded with the slightest hint of irritation in his voice, his chakra levels raised to a boiling point that baring down on the two bickering men in warning...and the silence that followed the threat proved its effectiveness. "Now. This person you are to bring into the Akatsuki is not what one would expect, this is true, but from Zetsu's reports, his powers have been rumored to be beyond that of a mere human. Almost god-like."

"So what are the details of his whereabouts?"

"In the farm lands of the Land of Harvests. He is suspected to be moving west towards the Land of Fruit trees."

"Any descriptions on his appearance."

"No, only that he wears a white jacket. No one knows his gender, age, or background."

"So fucken helpful. What the fuck man. Like every other ninja in the medical field wears a white jacket."

"Hidan, silence yourself. This man is not of any known village. He is a wanderer. The only crucial information that may make him recognizable is the fact that he does not wear shoes."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ha! No shoes. Man this guy must be nuts. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Perhaps so, but from the rumors he is told to be immortal."

A sudden silence mercilessly strangled what little comfort there had been in the dark and gloomy cave, if indeed there had ever been any true comfort within the damp cave to begin with. The thought of another immortal within the Akatsuki would be sure to raise a few eye brows. Sure Hidan was immortal, and Kakuzu could be mistaken for an immortal himself, but the thought of another such human been running around the lands without a leash of any kind could prove troublesome to the Akatsuki's ambitions. This, the Akatsuki were sure of.

"Immortal?"

"Hm...It is said by the villagers of a small region of the land of fire that a house caught fire and there was a young boy trapped inside. Then a hooded, barefoot figure ran straight into the flames and came back out with the young boy in his arms. The man was burnt beyond recognition and when his pulse was checked he was proclaimed dead."

"So he fucken died. He's not immortal then. What the fuck are we standing around here talking about a dead man for?"

"Let him finish. Leader-sama."

"When the villager taking the dead man's pulse removed his fingers from the corpse wrist, the burnt skin peeled off revealing new, undamaged skin beneath. The man called for another of the village men to go get the village patrol ninjas that were situated in the area, but the man that had allegedly died suddenly bolted up and ran into the forest. The next day, the villagers found the ash remains of what they say was the burnt outer skin of the man."

"Fuck man."

"This is just rumor though, but you are still to find this man and bring him to me."

"Yes leader-sama."

"Whatever."

"Good, you are now dismissed."

With the meeting between the Akatsuki leader and subordinates done, the three remaining shadow souls slowly faded into the darkness, leaving the cave desolate and quiet once more. The streaks of light that had shown so dimly within the darkest parts of the cave dimmed farther and farther into nothingness until they too disappeared, and the only sense of anything within the vertex of nothingness was the single droplets singing of their loneliness to the shadows of their existence.

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**Author's Note**

**Strange little story don't you think? Well, I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't know where I got this idea really. It just kind of came to me one day while I was bored. Please review…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: Well, I take it if you've read to this far you probably like the story so far. Enjoy this next chapter. XD

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Two: Relationships**

**'Something bad is going to happen my dearest Kiki.'**

Kiki stopped her silent travels through the golden sea of wheat grains and long dry grasses, her toes gently grazing the tips of the weed patch she had stopped in front of while the sun warmed her back despite her discomfort in it. She closed her eyes at the sound of the voice of her inner demon, but did not respond for she knew all too well that he was looking for an excuse to argue with her. Instead she relaxed her tense muscles and sat criss-cross on the dirt ground, leaving a roundish indent in the grasses with her bottom as she lowered her head to face the ground and brought her hands together in a prayer-like position below her mouth.

The silence throughout the fields could be somewhat unnerving to those who prefer the company of others, but Kiki found it relaxing and the peace of solitude gave her usually confused emotions time to settle and allowed her thoughts to become clear. After some time of nothing but blackness filling her mind's eye she could see them, not clearly, but she could make out the figures of the men who would cause her new troubles.

Two men from what she could see in the haze of colors and shapes that often made up her powers of foresight. White. She assumed the white was their hair color sense she could not think of what else could be on the top of a man's head of such a color. Then the thought of them being bold came to mind, but she quickly dismissed it for the white atop one of the man's head seemed to bare folded lines. Cloth she realized. She could also make out red and black colors. And clouds. Red clouds. Red clouds on a black surface. Then a name appeared from the back of her mind. Akatsuki.

Kiki's eyes snapped open instantly and her mouth became dry with sudden distaste. Not necessarily distaste with the two Akatsuki tracking her, but with herself. She knew she had been reckless in her attempts to save those lives she'd encountered throughout her travels and now she was going to pay the price for letting herself slip over the years. Letting her powers be seen so openly. She had not been thinking about the future consequences when she used her unusual powers to save lives. True, she had done a good job at keeping her identity a secret, but good just wasn't good enough. Especially in a land full of common people.

Rumors were ramped amongst the village folk, and once the words leave the mouth of the people, those seeking power are sure to be listening. Like a lone weed in the darkest corners of a garden gate, waiting to strike when the gardeners turn their backs. One benefit to the rumors that spread like wildfire though, was that she could easily talk to any passerby and get inside details about pretty much anything, including the Akatsuki.

She had heard rumor, a few months ago during her travels through the many lands of the continent, that two Akatsuki members had been seen in the Village Hidden in the Leaves some years back after the Sand's attack on the Leaf and the death of the Third Hokage. When she had first heard this information it had never accrued to her that she should learn more on the Akatsuki, in regards to her own safety.

Luckily throughout the months, she had acquired some information involving the matters relating to the Akatsuki, such as the fact that there were nine members, though she had no idea of what their names were. She also knew that the Akatsuki wore black cloaks with red clouds on them and had slash marks made through their headbands. She took great deal of comfort in the idea that she could so easily recognize them. Then the thought accrued to her...could the Akatsuki recognize her.

Kiki looked down automatically at her plain white jacket and bare feet folded nearly beneath her thighs. The white jacket was of no real threat to exposing her since so many other people wore them, but her bare footedness was definitely going to make her easy to spot. She cringed at the thought of having to wear shoes and stood up from her spot on the ground. Kiki looked down at her feet with a blank expression before slightly tipping them up so that she could examine the souls.

There were no scratches, cuts, or bruises thanks to her extraordinary self healing powers, but they were filthy beyond belief. Caked in mud and cut grains that had hitched a ride on her mud shoes. She smiled at the mess she called her feet and shook some of the dried mud off playfully. She really didn't like shoes, they were so restricting and uncomfortable There was one problem though; the thought of NOT being caught by the Akatsuki would make the discomfort bearable. Now she just had one problem. She had no shoes.

**'A backpack wouldn't hurt you know. Seriously, you need to learn to take a least a little pride of your possessions. How do you think people get up in the morning with nothing to expect but pain and suffering throughout the wretched day. Why. Wealth of course. Money. Gold. Woman...'**

'Shut up!'

**'As you wish my love.'**

Kiki frowned at the thought of what she wished to deny. That on occasion, her inner demon was right. To an extent anyway. Some men in the world have no reason to get up, only the pursuit of money keep they going. That little rush of adrenaline they get when they hold their newly gained treasures in their hands. It made her want to cry, but she didn't of course. To her though, how sad must it be to wake up and have nothing to look forward to get one through the day? No family. No love. No life, in her opinion.

She maybe a wanderer, but she loved the beauty of the world, and in her mind, it loved her back. In its own way. No words were spoken, and no words were needed. The earth provided her with the necessaries she needed to live and grow on her own. It gave her beautiful sights to see as she learned the secrets of the world, and the body to travel through it. Yes. She believed the body to be an earthly thing that had once been made of dust, air, and water. Her powers had a great deal to do with that.

Kiki sighed deeply in her new found sadness and then continued her way towards a small town that she knew was some miles down the fields. Her demon had always known how to ruin her day. One of the advantages of living in her head was her opinion. She dwelled on this for a bit before looking up to the sky, though she never slowed her pace towards her destination.

The clouds were full and fluffy, like sheep's coats, and floated slowly over the ocean of blue in the lazy ways in which clouds do. It was beautiful. Simply beautiful in her mind. Kiki smiled at the clouds and pointed to any random bunch before silently imploring what they looked like and what they were thinking as they looked down on her. Sometimes, she wished she was a cloud.

Kiki stopped suddenly and brought her hand up to her face in a gesture suggesting laughter, though no sound came out. The thought of her being a cloud filled her mind, and visions of fluffy white Kikis floating...majestically through the air...fingers wiggling wildly from the giant mass that she may have once called a body, a smile pulled mischievously at the corners of her mouth.

**'Very attractive Kiki. Very nice. Makes me of think of little ones. Our little ones that is. Ha, ha, ha!'**

'Quiet, and stop spying on my thoughts you perv.'

**'I'm hurt. Console me with your body baby, and I promise to behave.'**

'Why have you been more flirtatious then usual? It's starting to bug me.'

**'Truthfully...I guess the town you're heading towards has a brothel. Oh joyous lust, cloak me in a sea of ecstasy. Of course your uptight pussy thinks herself too good to pleasure herself in such a manner with the commoners.'**

'Not true. I do not think of myself as superior to anyone. I just have no interest in such activities.'

**'Denial baby. Don't even try to tell me you have no desire for such things. I am a demon who harbors lust you know, and though you fail to see it in yourself, I can sense it there.'**

'Go away, I do not wish to speak to you on the matter.'

**'Fine, as you wish. I do have one thing to say though.'**

'I know I'll regret this but what?'

**'Mind Demon possession jutsu.'**

'No please...'

Darkness suddenly took hold of Kiki's mind and her body became momentarily limp so that she began to fall towards the ground, but before hitting the earth below her, she caught herself on the ball of her knee. Her head was bent down to the ground and her arms hang motionless to her sides. All the light within her deep brown eyes had vanished and her eyelids were lazily dropped over the dull and lifeless orbs that were her eyes.

Suddenly, Kiki's head shot up with a mighty jolt and a sinister grin filled with malice and cruelty spread widely over her face. Her eyes were not her own, and anyone who looked into those black orbs that seemed to burn into anything they laid their sights on would have realized there was a demon dwelling deep within Kiki's body. She was frightening. Horrific. A true nightmare.

**'Kiki. You've become thinner. You haven't been eating much, have you my love?'**

'No, please don't. I'll eat more. Just please don't do it.'

**'Well my dear. While I have control of your body, I will be feeding you. I can only do this thrice a year and I only have so much time in doing so. So, where would you like to go?'**

'Please, our nutritional needs are different. I don't eat human.'

**'Then you've never lived my little Kiki.'**

'Please...I'll...I'll make a deal with you.'

**'A deal you say? This is going to be good. What's the deal?'**

'You give me back my body, and I'll...'

**'Waiting.'**

'...'

**'How about this. I give you back your body if you let me kiss you.'**

'I...I can't...'

**'I didn't quite catch that.'**

'Okay, but you'll have to wait a while.'

**'I can wait, though I prefer not to.'**

'Thank you...'

Kiki's body once again became limp for a brief second, before she once again caught herself before hitting the hard ground beneath her. She was breathing hard with her hand resting lightly on her head, and her chest was heaving causing her shoulders to rise and fall rhythmically with the pattern of her unstable breath. Her eyes were back to their normal brown color, but pain was etched in them.

Kiki brought her now glowing hand up to her chest again, and let the light soak into her body. She sighed in relief of having her body back under her own control, though her face was still deeply grieved by the transgression that had taken place in a few desperate moments. She had promised her first kiss to a mind rapping demon that tormented her every day. The very demon that she had come to dislike more than anything she could possibly think of. At the moment she felt like screaming at the world, but she couldn't. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't. So in the end she just kept on walking towards the little town.

Despite her anger in herself, she looked up to the mountains in the distance and smiled her sad smile to herself when she saw the most beautiful shade of green patching on top of the mountains ahead. She knew that the village she was seeking was just beyond the next grain field, and like she expected, when she looked off into the horizon the faint outline of a town came into view. Now that she thought about it. She really needed a bath.

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"Kakuzu are we there yet. Fuck man, this place is so fucken boring." Hidan whined to his partner, who was no more than five yards ahead of him, while looking out begrudgingly at the endless fields of golden grains and rolling hills stretching far out into the distance.

The religious zealot's whines were largely ignored by the taller man Kakuzu though, and received no answer in the usual fashion of receiving the cold shoulder. Blood-lust rushed through Hidan's body in an impulsive itch to kill something at the outrage of once again being ignored. This was the way of his venting, and to him, the thought of killing his heathen partner appealed to him. He had always hated his partner, but also, in his own sick way, enjoyed the taller man's presence. It gave him something to strive for. Watching his partner die. By his own hands as a sacrifice of course. Another reason he enjoyed Kakuzu's company, though he'd never admit it, was because since Hidan couldn't kill the heathen bastered, his god could not begrudge him not sacrificing him immediately in his name. For Hidan, it was a win win situation. The support of another living person, and the luxury of remaining in the good graces of his God. The religious man did feel a bit more attention couldn't hurt.

Kakuzu also found Hidan's company somewhat enjoyable, but only in the sense of being able to regularly vent out his own frustrations. Pounding Hidan to a bloody pulp. The money from the bounties he acquired over the years with Hidan's help was a bonus in his mind. That was the way of Kakuzu's mind and motives. To gain. Money was his main goal, but the gain self satisfaction never seemed to pass him by. He was by nature a hoarder of valuables. He was also a very silent person, who needed their time to think. He always wanted to always have his precious time used wisely and efficiently. He only had so much after all. Despite his near immortalness. The slowing of his age. He was naturally greedy. So it was only natural, he'd want his time spent accordingly.

There was a sudden clash and flash of light between the two partners, followed by a cloud of dust that consumed the two Akatsuki members in its blanket of darkness. When the unsettled earth had cleared away, the sight before any passersby would have been quite a shock. Hidan was bearing down his four-bladed scythe on Kakuzu's arm, though Kakuzu seemed unaffected by the sudden threat on his life. He was an Akatsuki after all.

"Answer me damnit." Hidan growled in his usual feral way from deep in the back of his throat, though Kakuzu merely stared at his partner in his usual uncaring way and tilted his head ever so slightly in the direction they had been walking.

Everything went silent once again, and Hidan seemed to relax at the thought of being in a town again. Truth be told, Hidan was afraid of being alone. Not necessarily the being by himself alone, but the sense of nothingness. The loss of being in a place in which he cannot escape. Like the fields surrounding him. A vast ocean of seeming nothingness that swallows up anything that dare set foot in it. A monster that his God's gift to him could not destroy. A monster untouched by the beholder, but seen and felt within the depth of one's heart.

Kakuzu paid no heed to the engulfing landscape around him, other than to scout his location and position. Unlike Hidan who followed his God with no clear direction to follow, Kakuzu followed the clearly marked path of money; so in essence, he always knew where he was going. That's how Kakuzu liked it. So without his money, he was lost. So in the end, being lost is what the zombie twins truly feared the most. This is the way of the world for many no matter how one from the outside looking in looks at it.

It did not take long for the two Akatsuki members to reach the small village. It was a peaceful little trading village where the farmers of the land of Harvests sold their newly harvested bounty to the seasonal shippers who traveled to their land to profit from the year's crop. Ninja's and outsiders rarely passed by the little village because of its solitude and lack of business for most of the year, so when Hidan and Kakuzu entered the little town, none of the villagers recognized them as Akatsuki. A bonus for them. It gave them the pleasure of traveling through the area without having to be on full alert, though Kakuzu still kept his ears open anyway.

"No fucken way. A bath house. Fuck man. I could use a good scrub." Hidan announced to the still wary miser, smirking up at the small sign above them in a way that portrayed his obvious like of the idea.

Kakuzu was a man made of steel and iron when it came to protecting his money, though the thought of a bath did appeal to Kakuzu since he could faintly smell a slight bitterness on himself. The smell of sweat and blood was more potent on Hidan, probably because he was a man who put more effort in fighting his opponents. Often leaping and mock attacking, just to show off his strength and stamina to his enemy. He loved the idea of being feared. While Kakuzu on the other hand preferred to end his battles quickly and move on with his life. Unlike Hidan, Kakuzu's passion was not in the thrill of the kill, but in the rewards that were gained from them. A conflict between the partners that often left them at ends with one another.

Kakuzu thought on the subject of a bath for a time, before taking steady and casual steps in the direction of the bathhouse's entrance, an indication that left Hidan temporarily flabbergasted. When Hidan regained a hold on his senses though, he smirked, more to himself then to Kakuzu, and follow suit behind the miser.

Before entering the bath house building completely though, he took a quick peek at the sky and found it beginning to turn a beautiful array a pinks and reds. This reminded him of blood, and to him, it was by far the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. He took this as a good omen from his God and smirked to himself again. He supposed that Kakuzu was intending to have them spent the night here other than in the fields were they'd loss the advantage in a fight that consisted of numbers. Kakuzu was always cautious like that.

Hidan's thoughts had rung true, for when he entered the building; he found that the miser had already paid for a room in the bath house. Kakuzu had not really wanted to stop traveling and settle down for the night. He would have preferred that he and Hidan continued through the night, but knowing his partner, the loss of some money would be well worth escaping the never ending ranting the miser knew would come when Hidan got tired along the way.

The thought of carrying Hidan through the night with a noose around his neck had been tempting, but he knew there would be hell to pay for it later. Best to not push the religious man anymore than possibly necessary. It was not that hard for Kakuzu to sense Hidan's uneasiness in the fields earlier, and a riled up Hidan was not going to help them to complete their mission.

Kakuzu dwelled on the details of their mission for some time, carefully noting the areas that their target could be in the area, before deciding to go take his bath. He slipped out of his clothing and removed his head gear, then setting the clothes one of the two bed twin beds in the room headed out to the springs.

When he got out there, Hidan was nowhere to be seen, but he did not dwell too far into the fact that Hidan was probably still wandering around the bath house. With the seclusion of the village, he and Hidan could easily just kill everyone in the village and no one would be the wiser about the massacre until months after the attack. By then he and Hidan would be long gone. So yes. He finally let himself relax into the caressing waters of the spring. For the first time in months, Kakuzu felt rather content. Something rare in its self. Yet another good omen.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Pervert Demon!!! I hadn't been thinking about her demon being so flirtatious when I first started writing, but it will all play out at the end. Please review…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's note: Okay, now it's time to get down to business. Kiki you'd best be strong, because hell's coming to get you. BD

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Three: Resistance**

Kiki stopped at the edge of the town and looked it over for any signs of danger, but it was a quiet little place with few people and a feeling of great peace. Though she kept getting adrenaline spikes. She'd been having adrenaline spikes shortly after the town had come into view, but she assumed it was simply an after effect of the Mind Demon possession jutsu that had been cast on her. It had happened before.

The last time her inner demon had taken over her body she had adrenaline spikes for hours after the incident. That night. Her mind began to dwell on the night her inner demon had taken over against her will. It kept playing back over and over in her head, like a nightmare that kept coming back, each as real as the last. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes. As they always did when she thought of, those nights. She could feel the blood on her hands, hear the screams, taste the...

**'Are you going to cry little Kiki?'**

The threatening tears vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of utter rage. Her demon had pushed her too far that time. He could sexually harass her, belittle her, and tear away all the happiness that she ever worked to gain, but now he had gone far too deep. The pain in her chest felt like a wildfire ready to burst from her chest and she couldn't stand it anymore.

Kiki lifted her white jacket up at the side and stuck her fingers deep into the rims of her pant's waist band. She felt along the edges of the stretchy gray cloth and finally found what she had been looking for. She pulled out a small black cloth with a small seal on it and held it in her hands for a tense moment before releasing the seal with a quick hand sign.

**'What are you doing? Kiki! If you do that, you'll lose your fore sight. Then what will you do? You won't be able to avoid conflict and I won't be there to protect you.'**

'Protect me. No, far from it. Being rid of you for a few weeks is worth the risk. I'll take whatever the world throws at me head on. You should never have mocked me about what you did in my body. You made me an animal that night. I can never forgive you for that.'

**'...You're hopeless girl. At the least I don't have to worry about you dying before I exact my revenge on you for your insolence Kiki dear. You will regret this. Mark my words.'**

Kiki all but ripped open the black wrapping, revealing a small bundle of black leaves held together by a small red silk thread. She stared at the leaves for a moment of despair and anger before sliding one of the black leaves from under the red thread and holding it up to her face, then lowering it steadily to her mouth.

**'I love you my dearest Kiki. When I come back, I'll have become strong enough to drag you down to hell as my bride.'**

Kiki squeezed her eyes shut and forced the black leaf deep into the back of her throat, taking the up most care not to chew on the small leaf. She continued to force the leaf farther and farther down her throat until she thought her were going to choke, but suddenly the black leaf burst in her hand, becoming a liquid that glide down her throat.

The liquid stung and burn like fire to the point where Kiki was clutching at her throat willing it to stop, but she did not regret her decision. She wanted this; for she knew the pain meant her demon was being push down into the souls of her feet where a small seal would form for a few weeks. The pain though. It was near unbearable. Luckily there was no one around to see her in such distress, but that fact did not stop the pain. It was like having fire plunged forcibly down her throat.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, though it had only been about two minutes, a small tingling in her right foot and the sudden flow of release to her burning systems told her that her demon was safely sealed away. Kiki stood in the middle of the road at the edge of town gasping for breath, though no one who may have been passing by would have heard it. She was exhausted and in pain, but to her, it was a good pain. It signaled the beginning of weeks of freedom from her demon. Something that made her smile, despite the stinging sensations pricking at her body. She was free.

The slight sound of people singing and the smell of whisky made its way to Kiki's battered senses. She turned in the direction of the smells and sounds and looked up at the sign above her head, before frowning deeply and looking back at the door on the building. It was the brothel her demon had been talking about.

A quick blast of desire and need seemed to explode in her face the moment she looked at the slightly open window near the top of the building, though she knew they were not her own. She was going into her receiving state again and was picking up on the emotions running riot in the brothel. Contact with an individual person or maybe two to four was generally not enough to get her receive state working, but in a place such as a brothel, where most of the mass within are feeling the same emotions often trigger her response. Her receiving state forces the overall emotion around her to invade her own, making her often believe they are her own.

Kiki quickly turned away from the brothel and made her way to the other part of town, where she hoped to find a bath house to cleanse herself of the newfound desires that plagued her mind. She never liked feeling lust towards others. It often clouded the mind and threw off perception and reason. Lust. One of the few emotions that seemed to be everywhere at once. What a horrible thing it is.

Kiki's cheeks were flushed a dark shade of red as she made her way to the edge of town, though at the least she wasn't fantasizing about men doing nasty things anymore. Even the thought of what she had thought made her blush and feel embarrassed with herself. Sometimes her demon had told her she acted like a child when it came to the matter of men. Sadly, Kiki couldn't deny that he was right.

Luckily she soon came to a bath house, and just in the nick of time at that. The sun had fully set by the time she had reached it, though she took great pleasure in just watching the stars glittering away above the world like the eyes of children looking back at her. She felt a surge of peace once again take hold of her and she felt like she was on top of the world.

The thought of buying the shoes she had come to get crossed her mind, but she ignored it with the shake of the head. She had tomorrow didn't she? New shoes could what. Besides. What would be the point of her getting new shoes if her feet were caked in mud and grain bits? It would be like wearing two pairs of shoes. Come on. She knew already she'd barely be able to handle one.

A smile crossed her face as she entered the bath house, but not before she snuck one last peek of the stars above. She knew she'd be able to see the stars while she bathed, but she just thought one more peek wouldn't hurt. The stars were beautiful, she concluded before looking down at her feet and scraping them on the rough textured mat once in the building.

She got most of the dried mud off, but there was still a small layer by the time she deemed her feet clean enough to fully enter the building. She smiled at the stubbornness of the dirt and shook her head at it as if scolding a child. She imagined the dirt clumps sitting on the ground with their big puppy dog eyes giving her the pout lip bagging her to let them stay on her heels and in between her toes. No! She would not give in to their cuteness. With her head held high, Kiki marched away from the mat, leaving the dirt clumps behind. Sometimes. Her imagination was just a tad bit too off for the sane to comprehend.

She walked up to the desk, where the owner was counting some money, with a small shy smile on her lips and rung the little silver bell on the corner for some assistance. The sound of the bell was pleasant and cheerful and she longed to ring it again, but out of courtesy, she resisted her unusual childish impulses.

"Yes. How may I help you? Would you like to rent a room? We have an especially nice one open this evening." A short woman with short black hair told Kiki in the usual manner, but she seemed annoyed at Kiki for no apparent reason though Kiki new the woman was tired.

The woman had her tiny pink hands folded neatly in front of her great bosom. What a bosom is was too. It could have eaten the seat had it wanted to. Her hair was in a short pony tail that folded in on its self and her skin was a deadly pale. It was obvious to Kiki that the woman didn't get out much by the shade of her complexion.

Kiki nodded her head in response and smiled sweetly to the tired woman while reaching attentively into the waist band of her pants. Her fingers lightly grazed the edge of the leaf package, but she ignored the sudden rush of adrenaline that caused her to head rush at touching it. She wouldn't be able to touch the leaves without this effect for as long as her demon was sealed away. It was his power that had kept her safe from the chakra draining effects of the Dicer Leaves. That she had to thank him for, even if she couldn't stand him.

When she found the pouch of money she had been seeking, she waited for the woman to tell her the price of the room she would be staying in. The woman just looked at Kiki for a moment before turning back to her desk and rummaged through her paper work. Then she asked Kiki if she preferred room one or two, Kiki remained silent, waiting patiently for the woman to face her. After some time of uncomfortable silence the woman repeated her question to Kiki, but still did not turn around, so Kiki still could not answer. Kiki's lack of response seemed to annoy the woman for she turned to face her with a slight glare in her eyes.

"Are you stupid or something? Are you going to answer me or not? I don't have all night you know." The woman growled at Kiki with a frown etched firmly on her red painted lips and a glare boring angrily into Kiki face.

Kiki raised her hand calmly and felt up two fingers to the woman as a response, who instantly began to blush an embarrassed red and let her eyes become huge with sudden shock and realization. Kiki knew what was coming. She had heard it all before. It was only a natural response when a commoner met someone like herself.

"Oh. I am so sorry dear. I didn't know you couldn't speak. You see, I've never met a mute person before. We don't get much..." The counter woman tried to explain frantically in a desperate tone, but was delicately hushed by a casual wave of Kiki's hand and the reassuring smile that followed suit.

Once again Kiki held up two fingers and then pointed to the money sack that lay in the palm of her other hand. The counter woman knew what Kiki was implying and told her the price for the room, though the counter woman shaved the price off a bit as sort of an unseen apology to Kiki without her knowing. Kiki held no grudges against the woman as she walked to her room in silence. Kiki had no need too. To anyone who could speak, she knew, it was rude not to answer when they are being spoken to. So the woman's response was only natural. Kiki never liked holding grudges anyway.

* * *

Kakuzu was still soaking in the hot springs outside his and Hidan's room, though Hidan had gotten out some time earlier. It was true that Hidan had been wandering about the bath house in search of some entertainment for the first couple hours of their visit, but after harassing the counter woman about her bosom, he had become bored of the limited responses the woman had to offer and finally decided to take a bath in the springs.

Hidan had always been easily bored and in search of entertainment, for as long as Kakuzu could remember the man he had been like that. It may have been just a few years, but the lack of change in Hidan's character over their partnership gave Kakuzu the impression that Hidan was every much the same way as when the he was a child. It was rather logical in Kakuzu's mind.

Kakuzu dwelled on these thoughts of Hidan's behavior for some time, thanking whatever it had been that prevented Hidan from doing something rash in his state of boredom, but was instantly alerted when he felt the presence of another chakra signature to the left of him. He could sense that it was not Hidan's chakra signature, which felt constricted and ready to burst, but a calm soothing presence that made his body involuntarily relax. This confused him because he rarely felt relaxed, even when he was alone. He'd always had something on his mind keeping him from relaxing, like money or enemy attack, and the thought of another's presence making him relax hit him hard as an oddity.

At first he assumed it was some sort of genjutsu and made a release sign to disarm it, but nothing happened that indicated interference with his senses. Hidan seemed to have noticed the sensation too, because Kakuzu could hear the faint words of Hidan using his release jutsu, followed by a confused grunt of annoyance, which soon ended with Hidan dragging himself back to the hot springs still in his sleeping clothes, which consisted of his just wearing his gray ninja pants.

The presence, they knew, was coming from the woman's bathing area, and that seemed to answer some of their questions. Now they knew that there was another ninja in the bath house. A woman, with no intent to cause trouble with them, by the rhythm of her chakra ora's flow. They could sense she was somewhere in her twenties by the lightness of the chakra's density, and was not all too impressive or dangerous in relations to her powers vs. theirs. Though they could feel she had quite a sting packed within her. She had no blood lust in her systems indicating battle or rouge attributes, and she was just there relaxing. So they didn't have to worry about her right?

Hidan didn't think so and lazily headed back into his and Kakuzu's room to once again doze off before they had to inevitably plan out their next root of action regarding their target, The Healer of Mercy, courtesy of Kakuzu. Hidan was not all too concerned about how long it took them to find this person they were being sent out to find, capture, and then enter into Akatsuki. As long as he got to make sacrifices to his god, Hidan was good just roaming about the small towns for a few weeks.

Kakuzu on the other hand was raking his already over worked brain on how he and Hidan were to capture their target in such a vast landscape. With so much room within the fields to roam about freely, he wouldn't have been surprised if their target had slipped by them unnoticed. He sincerely hoped this assumption to be false. He did not have the time, nor the patience to be running around in circles after a target that was no longer in the area.

He also had another assumption. One that he found comforting and unnerving at the same time. He deeply suspected that the woman on the other side of the wall separating the women's and men's bathing springs was their target. Not many ninjas traveled this part of the country, because there were never any missions assigned to the hidden villagers or battles within these regions. So in his mind, it was rather logical that the woman staying at the bath house with them was the one they'd been looking for. He farther backed up this theory by rethinking on the information he and Hidan had been given by the leader. Their target had been not given a known gender, so a woman wouldn't be out of the question. No specific details on their features were known other then him/her having no shoes and a white jacket, which farther backed up that The Healer of Mercy didn't have to be a man. Now Kakuzu just had to find out if this woman at the bath house had no shoes and a white jacket.

After dwelling on this thought for some time, Kakuzu heard the woman slowly rising from the water and making her way to her room in a slightly hesitant manner. Kakuzu could sense that the woman was tired by the sluggishness of her movements and the heavy steps that ever so slightly echoed off the cement ground of the bath house. She was most likely going to turn in for the night, but he could sense something else as well. Caution. Whoever this woman was, could obviously sense his and Hidan's intent, as well as their power. As any well trained ninja should. They had to make their move soon.

Kakuzu raised from the spring with a silent grunt as the cold air stung at his bare skin, before looking over to the folded white towel by his side. He stepped out of the warm water, wrapped the towel around his waist, and walked silently into his and Hidan's room, where he found Hidan lying awkwardly on his back, the back of his hand over his eyes, and one of his legs propped up lazily.

"Hidan get up." Kakuzu commanded his half dozed partner in an irritated growl while he slipped his mask, head gear, clothes, and Akatsuki cloak back onto his body, but did not received an answer from his partner, nor any sign of movement.

Kakuzu could feel his naturally short temper rising, and his impatience beginning to get the better of him. Kakuzu had never been very good at suppressing his anger. It always just spilled out over anything that was near him. Kakuzu had never been particularly proud of his short temperedness, though he never really bothered dealing with his 'defects', as many would call it. So with that in mind, anyone could see that Hidan was in for a rude awakening. For Kakuzu, sometimes having an immortal partner had its advantages.

* * *

Kiki could feel her extreme tiredness in the back of her legs, the joints in her arms, and the drooping of her eyes as they all seemed to strain against her will. She just wanted to sleep. To curl up into a tight, warm ball and enjoy her first night in years of not having a molesting demon haunting her dreams, turning them into vivid nightmares in which she could not escape. She couldn't though, not with those ninja in the room next to her. She knew they were the Akatsuki members who were looking for her. Without her foresight, it had taken some time to fully read what their intentions were, but after about thirty minutes of lounging in the hot spring absorbing the spiritual ora surrounding the men, she came to the conclusion that they were without a doubt the ones looking for her.

She was in her room, gathering up what little she had, though constantly looking about to be sure that they had not entered her room while she was preoccupied. As she gathered up the last of her things and finished straightening up her clothes, she felt a sudden murderous ora blasting through the bath house. She knew it was from the one across the way when she had been bathing, and that the anger was being directed at the second man.

She darted from the room just as the sound of a sickening crack and angered curses could be heard from the room next to her. Everything after that seemed to become unnervingly quiet as she felt the two men's presences closely perusing her. They obviously knew she had made a run for it. She ran past the empty desk and out the bath house's front door with ease, but shivered slightly felt the sudden blast of cold air blew upon her heated face. She was still warm from the spring waters.

Her bare feet seemed to grip at the ground, as she suddenly leaped up onto the nearest roof top and darted from one roof to another. She could not hear their footsteps as her pursuers chased after her, but she could feel their overwhelming presence and power. In the bath house, when they were more relaxed, they had not had such a strong feel about them, but now that they were in pursuit, Kiki knew that the moment she was caught she was done for. There was a reason they were Akatsuki after all.

She looked towards the open fields and felt her heart give a leap. Horror seemed to grip at her. There, in the moonlit fields of tall grained grasses, was one of her pursuers. He wore a blood thirsty smirk across his sickly pale face, and his eyes seemed to glow a dark pinkish-red. He looked like a demon that had crawled into some poor soul's body. His silver hair and flawless skin seemed to shine in the moonlight's bright cloak of white. He was completely dripping of blood lust. Kiki wouldn't have been surprised if his pores began to spew it out in endless trickles.

He seemed to be chanting something to a strange pendent he held lightly in his hand, but Kiki hardly noticed as she felt an even more alarming ora behind her. He was powerful. She knew he was getting closer, and that he was only about three house tops away. She was trapped. A blood thirsty demon in front of her, and one of the most powerful presences she had ever felt behind. She did not want to be caught by either. She knew she had to improvise, and quick.

"Fuck bitch. You're fucken dumber then I would have thought." The blood thirsty man in front of her taunted Kiki in his deep masculine voice, causing her to shiver at the feel of unrelenting murderous ora that flowed from forth him.

Kiki refused to be captured by such a man. Not only was he an obvious murderer, but he had a fowl mouth. She frowned at his unwanted comment and brought the back of her hand up to her mouth. The man pulled out a four-bladed scythe and took a position that suggested he thought she was going to attack. Lightly, Kiki bit down on her finger and brought the bloodied hand to her chest. She rubbed it into the shape of a heart and then tightened her fingers into a fist position. Her hand and blood symbol began to glow lightly, and by the smirk on the man's face, Kiki could tell he was amused.

Kiki could feel the power flowing through her body to her fist, but as she was preparing to cast her jutsu she felt a sharp pain on her shoulder. A sharp burning pain that left a raw stinging sensation that left her mind reeling. It felt like a whip had snapped down on her with tremendous force, but she somehow managed to continue the jutsu.

As Hidan braced for impacted, he was suddenly blown onto his back by a bone shuddering force. Kakuzu was suddenly blinded by a white light beaming furiously into his face, causing him to release the hold his thread had on Kiki's shoulder. They were both temporary stunned, but a few seconds later when their minds came back into focus, they saw the cause of the forces that had assaulted them. Flying delicately through the air was an Ice-crystal dragon.

The dragon had a long snake like body that swayed through the air like a serpent swimming through crystal clear waters. It was a light bluish color that bordered white, and every movement it made shone and glittered in the moon light like ice. The dragon had short, but strong muscular legs that were folded neatly beneath it and a luxurious blue mane that sparkled like dew droplets.

Hidan and Kakuzu watched in awe and frustration as Kiki, seated on the back of the great Ice-crystal dragon, rode farther and farther away from them to the high mountains over shadowing the grain fields. Their target was getting away, and there was nothing they could do about it. They were the zombie twins for goodness sakes! How could they have let a ninja weaker then themselves, a woman of all things, escape so easily. It frustrated them to no end, but now they knew that the woman riding her summoning creature was their target. Her resistance had assured them of that.

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**Author's Note**

**Wow! Kiki's got it bad. Demon's on the inside, Akatsuki on the out, and she's mute!!! Can't this girl ever get a break? Please review…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: We're on chapter four all ready? I'm surprise I had the patience to make it this far without losing interest. Kiki…you can run, you can hide, but with eight Akatsuki members on your tail, your **_**luck**_** won't last forever.

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Four: Seek, Hunt, and Capture…or Not**

In the dense darkened forest far from the grain fields, within the cave dwelling that never saw the light of day, far past the reach of any common man, a dark shadowed figure waited. His presence was unnerving and bared down its power upon any foolish enough to oppose it. An unseen frown could be felt etched onto his thin lips.

"**Pein-sama**. We bring word that **Kakuzu and Hidan** has failed to capture **their target and that she **is heading towards **the Land of Fire.**" A voice echoed through the dark cave, though there was no other body to be seen within the dank walls of the cavern.

"A woman…I see. What are the details of her escape? I want to know what we are up against." The emotionless voice of Pein echoed through the blanket of the darkness, his eyes sharpening ever so slightly in the nothingness surrounding him.

"It would seem** that the woman had sensed their intent** and made a run for it. They had cornered her, **but she summoned the creature Ice-crystal dragon and managed to escape.** From what we observed, **she is not very strong** and avoids confrontations whenever possible. **She is in her early twenties, has brown hair, brown eyes,** and has a peaceful air about her." The bodiless voice echoed through the nothingness, earning a grunt of understanding from Pein.

There was a sudden movement in the cave floor, and the dim outline of a plant-like appendage creeping out cautiously from the cave rocks below could be scarcely made out. The dim floating light within the cave gave the plant like creature an eerie feel as its thick Venus fly trap like leaves spread open ever so slightly in the gloom of the cave.

"Zetsu. Inform every Akatsuki member of this, and tell them that they are to stop all their current missions and search for this woman. Itachi and Kisame are to cut off her before she can reach the Leaf village, where I'm sure their ninja will cause us trouble should they find us stalking about their village. Deidara is to scout her location from the sky and possibly meet her in battle should she still be riding her summoning creature. Kakuzu and Hidan are to travel to the Land of Fire and seek her out. This woman must be caught. Failure will not be tolerated." Pein commanded his subordinate spy with no hint of emotion traceable within his deep voice, though knowing the importance of this assignment, Zetsu left without question.

As the Akatsuki spy sung back into the cave floor, wordless and ever fading, another figure jumped silently though the cave's opening, not even the sound of breath came from the shadow. The new figure had the lean curvy figure that told that she was a woman. When she entered the cave, she stopped from proceeding forward when she found Pein leaning against the dampened walls of the shadowed cave, staring at her with unfeeling eyes.

"Pein. Do you believe this woman is the answer to completing our ambitions? If she will not fight, then how can we expect her to be of any use to the Akatsuki?" The woman asked the Akatsuki leader suspicious but still calm voice, the slightest tint of blue shinning from her hair as the pale moon light reflected off of the cave walls and onto her face.

"She will not fight, this is true, but her fighting skills are not why I have chosen to enter her into the Akatsuki. It is her powers of healing and her immortality. She would be an asset to us. If her powers are as extraordinary as rumor tells that will more then guarantee her usefulness to the Akatsuki. We need our members to be in top condition to capture the tailed demons."

The blue haired woman seemed unmoved by what her leader had told her, but none the less nodded her head respectfully in understanding. It was not in her nature to go against Pein's orders, but questioning them was not out of the question. She and Pein had been together long enough to insure a neutral understanding on the subject of concern. You could call them friends.

"Konan. Come, we must cut our target off before she makes it to the Leaf." Pein commanded in his same emotionless voice without even looking at the blue haired woman as he made a few quick hand signs and vanishing in a puff of white smoke.

The woman, Konan, simply grunted softly as Pein vanished and also vanished in a thick cloud of white smoke, leaving the darkened cave of seeming nothingness. Even so, still, unseen and heard from those who do not seek out their lonely existence, the ever present leaks of the cave's lonely walls make their way down the vertex of nothingness. Forever gathering together at the bottom of a vast pool of sorrow of the tears that were never given values from the hearts of their bearers.

* * *

Kiki jumped frantically through the dense leafy forest, dodging and weaving expertly through the low handing branches and stumps littering the forest floor, never once looking back to the approaching figures pursuing her. To do so would mark the end. Her breath was rapidly increasing and her legs were beginning to become unbearably numb from her constant fleeing from the persistent Akatsuki members. One in particular…was flying over head.

The sudden sound of a deafening explosion could be heard clearly in Kiki's highly sensitive ears, but she kept moving forward, carefully avoiding the areas where she could sense more clay bombs had been set ahead of time. She knew that this member of the Akatsuki was and had been tracking her for some time, knew where she was going, and was most likely giving her coordinates to his fellow Akatsuki.

"Stop running, yeah. You'll only get yourself killed, un." The clay bombs ninja called out to Kiki in mock laughter as his bright blonde hair waved through the air, though Kiki could clearly feel the slight annoyance and great amusement this man was getting from her being so stubborn about being caught.

Kiki's senses were in high maximum overdrive, because without the use of her foresight to guide her out of harms way, her five senses were her only means of avoiding the traps the Akatsuki had obviously set for her. Even with her five senses working past their usual strain, she could still feel the emotions of the Akatsuki members pursuing her so vividly, it somewhat stunned her when a member got too close. Even so…she was not all too terrified of a few of the members who had attempted to seize her.

Whenever a tall and bulky blue skinned man with a huge wrapped sword strapped to his back approached her, Kiki could feel a slight ting of bloodlust coursing through his veins rhythmically with his long powerful stride, but she could more strongly feel a sense of playful amusement pulse from him whenever he missed an attack on her or she managed to out maneuver him. Kisame. She knew his name and face from a bingo book she'd seen some time ago. She could sense he was not a push over and obviously liked a good fight, but he was not one to go out a slaughter a whole village to satisfy an itch he may suddenly have. He reminded her slightly of an older brother or maybe an uncle. Someone she would probably seek out for company should she be caught by the Akatsuki. The closest thing to safe she'd probably find. She still would keep in mind though, that he was an S-class criminal.

When a younger man named Itachi, the blue skinned one's partner, came too close though, an overwhelming sense of sorrow and grief suddenly swept over Kiki's body. It had scared her slightly when he'd first approached her and she'd felt a sudden rush of adrenaline make its way through her and a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck. He was powerful. Maybe a little weaker than the one from at the bath house, but still enough to make her shiver involuntarily. He was not someone who was particularly after blood, her blood anyway, though his obvious annoyance of her constantly avoiding capture was enough to unnerve Kiki a bit. He was not the most patient of men. That was apparent. He was someone Kiki wouldn't avoid, but wouldn't seek the company of unless he asked for it first.

Then there was the blond, who Kiki still did not have a name for, who seemed to be somewhat annoyed at her resilience to evade capture. She had heard of him before when she'd passed by the Hidden Stone Village. The name had not stuck though. Kiki was not so good with names without a face to tie it into. The blonde gave off a more serious vibe then Kisame, but a less strict demeanor then Itachi. His young age probably had to do with his want to be serious, but his uncontrollable need to also enjoy life. She could sense he was the youngest of the Akatsuki, even younger then herself, as was Itachi.

Kiki thought briefly of how she was being perused and was running for her life from ninja younger then herself. A blush spread across her face. The embarrassment of this fact was getting to her. Despite her god-like gift, she was still only human, and pride still resided within her, though she'd rather it not. Pride, or too much of it anyway, was one of the most abundant sins she'd ever come across in her travels next to lust…one that reminded her of her demon.

"Got ya!" Kisame bellowed triumphantly a bright smirk of obvious pride glowing plainly on his face while reaching out his large collapsed hand towards Kiki in attempt to grab hold of her, but she gracefully ducked under him at the very last second and, keeping as low as possible to the ground as she could, bolted to the right out of the man's grasp with relative ease. "You're good brat!" She heard him yell out to her as she managed to put some distance between herself and the blue skinned man.

Kiki smiled back at him in a small sign of gratitude at the comment. She was rarely ever praised in anything she did, even when she was saving someone's life. She'd always run off before the villagers of the places she visited and healed some people in could detain her for too long with their praises and proposals. She always had to be careful. If even one villager were to have ever discovered her name or face, the information would have been spread far and wide across the continent and in every ninja village by the end of the month. That would have been to last thing she'd have needed. Still, look at her now she mused to herself.

Suddenly, Kiki could feel an overpowering feeling of sheer sickening bloodlust coming from her right. She could hear the lightest of footsteps coming up behind her and the sound of faint breathing coming from her pursuer. She knew that intensity of bloodlust and malice. She had felt it before. It was the man from before, and when she concentrated her senses just a tad bit more, she could clearly sense the presence of his partner. Kiki felt her heart give a leap.

"Hello bitch. Remember me?" The silver haired man chuckled in his low cruel tone, while letting a nightmarishly sinister grin play rancid across his sharp features before he swung his scythe out at Kiki who dodged the threatening weapon easily, though his close presence was beginning to take its toll on her senses. "Hold the fuck still damnit!" The man commanded angrily, once again swinging his scythe out towards the girl, but she ducked at the last minute when some low hanging branches came into view.

Hidan had not seen the branches in time and plowed straight into them full force, and though Kiki didn't look back, she could hear his body smack into the tree the branches were attached to and begin falling towards the ground. She could feel the anger in him skyrocket as he was falling. She could tell his anger was directed towards her and that scared her even more than his insatiable bloodlust. It meant that he would most likely direct the brunt of his bloodlust towards her. Not a comforting thought.

Kiki was beginning to tire even faster than before, due to the variety of emotions running ramped from the several Akatsuki members chasing after her. From what she could recall, she had five members chasing after her sorry hide, the scary bloodlust man, his powerful partner with the stitches, the blue skinned man with the big sword, his partner with the demonic red eyes, and the blonde boomer ninja flying above her. She felt herself begin to silently dwell in her own self pity at how unlucky she was, but she quickly shook it off with a rough shake of the head. If she was so unlucky then why was she still able to run, she reminded herself.

A sudden mock laugh from the blonde ninja caught Kiki's attention as she jumped to the next branch in front of her, then she felt it at the tip of her senses, but it was too late. Kiki wasn't sure exactly what had happened at that moment of sudden alertness, but the next thing she knew, she was flying through the open air with a mushroom cloud of dust and tree pieces puffing out beneath her. She'd stepped right on the bomb that had been set for her, and she could feel the extent of how bad the impact had been. The pain was near unbearable, but she knew she wouldn't die or become maimed.

Her left arm was all but hanging from its socket and the fingers on her hand where burn beyond recognition, as were her legs and hips. Her feet were nothing more than two bony lumps popping out from the bottom of her blackened leg. Her face was intact, but she knew it was burnt badly, and her sides were bleeding heavily from the series of gashes that had cut their way through her shirt and onto her skin. All the skin on her back had been scraped clean off. To say she was in pain, would have been a serious understatement.

Kiki wanted to scream bloody murder in sheer searing pain, but no sound escaped her charcoaled lips as the air left her. Her mind was reeling in agony and her less mutilated body parks were twitching uncontrollably as waves of pain racked her body. She wanted to die right then, but her wish was not granted. Instead, her mangled body began to regenerate its self while she was still flying up into the air, and it took no more than thirty seconds for her body to begin peeling the burnt skin off her body. This signaled the end of her healing process, when she was badly burnt anyway, but she still could feel the slightest hints of pain running through her limbs. Stupid bombs…

Kiki could feel herself begin to fall back to earth. She was at least seven hundred feet up, and as she was freefalling she could feel her inners begin to twist as the odd sensation of seeming weightlessness. She actually thought about just enjoying her fall towards the earth while it lasted, the sensation of freefall was so wonderful, but she knew better then to let such childish thoughts cross her mind at such a time. The Akatsuki would catch her if she were to do such a thing. These thoughts in mind, she bite into her hand quickly and draw a blood heart on her chest before a glow radiated off it in a ray of blinding white light. She was summoning her Ice-crystal dragon.

* * *

Zetsu looked up curiously to the sky when he heard Deidara's bomb go off, and saw the form of a beautiful dragon gliding effortlessly through the air with its rider seated firmly on its back. They noted the fact that her skin was peeling off in black, crispy chunks for future references. They knew what they were seeing, but they were still quite shocked at the sight. Luckily, it didn't show on their face. Not that there was anyone around them to see their expression anyway. They were just watching from a distance, analyzing all the details of the events. That was their specialty after all.

'So the rumors are true then?' Raises an inner eyebrow to other half.

'…**Yes…'**

'Do you think the others will be able to capture her?'

Inner frown. **'No…'**

'…………Why'

'**In her current state she will not be captured for some time yet, maybe even years, if the others keep using the same tactics.'**

'…Please explain.' Inwardly, eyebrows pull together in confusion.

'**The others intend to beat her till she can't resist capture.'**

'That won't work though…she'll just heal herself and from what we know the act of her healing also replenishes her chakra doesn't it?' Inward frown.

'**You've caught on quicker than usual.'**

'I see. So what do we do about it?'

'………**Nothing…'**

'Why!?' Inner frown.

'…**At the moment.'**

'………'

'………'

'So, we wait till the right time to strike then?'

'…**Of course.'** Inner smirk.

'That's why you're the smart one.'

The sides of Zetsu came to the unspoken agreement that they would wait for the right moment to make their move. They were patient by nature, clever and intelligent as well. They were clever in the way of knowing how to outwit their opposites in battle or confrontation while under pressure, while intelligent in the respect of knowing how to do so in terms of verbal persuasion. They were dangerous when provoked, but by no means a threat to Pein in position of the Akatsuki leader. They were strong, but not that strong. They were spies, not leaders. They knew their places in the world, both in the Akatsuki and out.

Zetsu watched in mild interest as the girl, riding on the summoning creature, made a few hand signs and countered Deidara's bombs in midair with a sudden whip of icy water. She was quite beautiful while fighting he observed, graceful and light in her attacks, but still able to take a hit thanks to her gift. Her fluid movements were effortless as she dodged a hoard of clay birds that flew her way, twisting and turning with the stride of her dragon's snake-like body.

She was amazingly graceful and quick when she was 'running away' or 'avoiding attacks', but Zetsu knew without a doubt, she had neither the strength required to defeat one of the Akatsuki in hand to hand combat nor the killing instinct to finish them off if it came down to that. In this assessment, he was correct. She was too soft for that. Her heart would hardly be able to bare it should she have to even witness a death much less cause one. She was too soft, too kind, and…too weak. Zetsu had to wonder to himself if her will was strong enough to '_survive_' in an organization run by S-ranked criminals and based near solely on the intent of killing all who stand in their way to ruling the ninja world.

Zetsu's halves frowned to themselves in slight annoyance as they saw yet another trait to beware of in their target. The girl did not even have to use hand seals when Zetsu suddenly felt a powerful genjutsu cast over Deidara, who began to swat at his skin rapidly in similar areas over and over again. Zetsu would have laughed, but he had more self-control than that. Bees, that's what Deidara was up against, a whole swarm of simple little bees with simple stingers. Obviously this girl was just stalling for time to escape. Still, Zetsu had to amend the girl, her genjutsu was so well perfected, that Deidara still couldn't sense that the bees that were allegedly attacking him were nothing more than an illusion.

The dragon, the girl was riding on, saw what his master had done and acted accordingly, flinging itself to the side towards the rocky cliffs of the mountains as the distracted blonde bomber continued to swipe furiously at his skin. Soon the dragon had slipped from the sight of the awaiting Akatsuki members watching Deidara's little display from the ground, under the cover of the mountain's ridges. Zetsu only sighed before he headed over to the direction in which the Akatsuki were gathered, being extra cautious not to be sensed.

It took no less than a fraction of a second for Zetsu to travel the four or so miles separating himself from the rest of the Akatsuki. Traveling underground had its advantages in terms of speed and distance one was able to travel without the wasted energy of eluding enemies and passing through dense areas. The lack of distraction also made his job of spying on his targets that much easier when he didn't have to worry about being found. No one, not even Pein could sense when he approached unless he wanted them to. This fact Zetsu took great pride in, though he never allowed anyone see it.

"Fuck man! How the hell are we supposed to catch the damn woman if we can't keep her on the fucken ground damnit? Fuck!" Zetsu could clearly hear the angry rants of the immortal priest as he waited below the ground beneath his fellow Akatsuki's feet. "What the hell do we do now? She's fucken getting farther away by the damn minute." Hidan ranted on, obviously to the other, highly annoyed, Akatsuki.

"She is heading west towards the Hidden Sand Village." Zetsu heard Itachi state in his usual monotone voice, seemingly a deep void of all emotion. "We must cut her off before she reaches the Sand. Less our mission will become a failure." Itachi's words were met by the silent nods of heads, from what Zetsu could feel.

With this new development of the girl in mind, Zetsu left his fellow Akatsuki to regroup and form a plan of action. He had an obligation to fulfill as he always had. Keeping Pein thoroughly updated with the progress in capturing their target. Such a position was critical to the success of the Akatsuki's ambitions and was not to be taken lightly. As a spy, Zetsu knew this. His role was perhaps the most vital to maintain the order and status of not only the organization as a whole, but the leader as well. Zetsu took pride in this, though it never showed. He never let it show, because that would make him seen, heard, and noticed. For a spy to exist meant death and death, in Zetsu's mind, wasn't appealing in the least. Zetsu is a spy and that is why, he must not exist. Never exist…Alone.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Yet another chapter complete yeah! I hope you like this chapter…What are your thoughts on Kiki? Please review…**


	5. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: Thank so much to all the readers of my story. Hope you're enjoying it so far. So Kiki's escaped the Akatsuki for the time being right. Question is…can she escape herself?

* * *

**

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Five: Pain or Misery**

Think. She had to think. Thinking was all she could do at the moment, right? Kiki was currently wondering aimlessly about a small village at the edge of the Wind country's borders. It was a peaceful little place with many smiling faces and positive emotions running like waves throughout the town, plus it would be some time before the Akatsuki would catch up to her; this she was sure of, but for anyone the thought being hunted down was unnerving to say the least. To make her discomfort even worst, the seal on her foot was beginning to burn uncontrollable and there was nothing she could do about it.

She knew the seal had weakened a tad bit as her demon's strength had increased ever so slightly. Being in such close contact with the Akatsuki's negatively charged emotions had fed her inner demon's spiritual power enormously, and the knowledge of her demon holding all his newly gained power in reserve for future references frightened her. There was just no telling what he would be able to do if the Akatsuki captured her and he was given the unlimited access of feeding off the Akatsuki's spiritual presences. To say she was terrified didn't even come close.

She gazed up at the flamboyant sign above her head with her half lit eyes. It clearly read _**'Jewel's Festival Tonight'**_ in big, bold letters above the street of the little town, and the thought of a festival immediately caught her interest. She hadn't been to a festival since she was four years old from what she could recall, and though she couldn't remember the exact events of that day, she instinctively remembered the beautiful feelings that had coursed through the area like water. It had been one of the few highlights of her young life after…that day.

Kiki's lowed her darkened eyes to the ground in a painfully unreadable expression, the unseen tears she so desperately wanted to shed stubbornly remaining concealed behind her heavy lids. She did not wish to think of her painful past, not at that time anyway. Thinking of her past life always brought on the overwhelming need to cry and she couldn't bring herself to do it. For her, to cry meant her demon had won, was right, had power over her, and…was one step closer to breaking her from the inside out. '**First …I will break your mind and then I will break you,**' her demon had told her when she had seen her sixth winter. Even after so many years, she never forgot his warning.

Never the less, she raised her eyes and smiled sweetly when she felt the kindly presence of a little family of commoners passing by. The family consisted of a dad, a mom, and their three children, a boy and two twin girls. It was a handsome sight in Kiki's eyes, and she could feel the love radiating off of them. It made her senses reel with joy, but deep in her heart, she was screaming out in a childish rage. She knew her emotions were becoming confused, merging with that of the family's, the people around her, the town its self. She had to get away from it for a while.

It shouldn't have taken long for her to get to the inn she was staying at. Along the way though, she had helped an elderly lady with her laundry and a small boy catch the sheep that had strayed from the flock, so by the time she got to her destination the villagers were beginning to set up for the Jewel's Festival. Kiki paid the working men and women little mind though and entered the inn without a second glace to the scurrying people around her.

She was tired, so very tired. She had been running from the Akatsuki nonstop that whole morning till the early afternoon plus the entire night before right after she had used the Dicer Leaves. Her energy was nearly drained, sure she could just keep using her healing powers much like food pills and use those to restore her energy, but using her powers in such a manner would just make it easier for the Akatsuki to find her. Using her gift replenished her chakra enormously, and therefore, made it harder to suppress and hide. Besides, why go through the trouble of artificially surging energy into her body when she could just sleep for a while and pass some time until the festival was running at the same time. It was all very simple in Kiki's mind.

Kiki climbed up the flight of stairs leading to the floor her quickly and found her room number, 38B, with relative ease given her room was right next to the staircase she had climbed. She rummaged her fingers into her waist band folds in search of her room key which she had stored there some time earlier when she had rented the room. It took no less than five seconds for her sensitive fingers to find their target, but she felt something else as well. The Dicer Leaves…

Kiki frowned to herself in slight discomfort as the leaves grid at her chakra before she pulled her hand from the folds of her band, key between her fingers, and bite her bottom lip. The seal on her foot was burning. It was not like a fire's heat, but more like frost bite. It stung like mad when she moved her bare foot up so that she could examine the souls. The seal was in the shape of a double looped circle with needle-like spikes protruding both within and out of the rounded edges. The seal was pitch-black, like her demon's very heart Kiki mused to herself with a weak smile.

Kiki did not allow the thought of her demon's icy heart ruin her mood though because though she was unbelievably tired, more importantly, her inner child was positively jumping for joy. Sure she had a group of S-ranked rouge ninja criminals hot on her trail hell-bent on forcing her to join them, a perverted demon of all human sin locked away in a seal on her foot, and was completely exhausted from lack of sleep, but guess what she smiled to herself at the thought…She was going to a festival.

Kiki felt her heart sore about in her chest as she turned the key in the socket and entered her room, gently closing the door behind her. It was a modest little room. Clean and had an airy feeling to it. Somehow, it made Kiki feel a little more comfortable then she would have thought it would. Probably the friendly atmosphere out her open window was getting to her. She couldn't tell anymore. Her own emotions were always seemingly picking up on the feelings around her. Sometimes it drove her crazy.

Normally, Kiki could easily pick out her own feelings from those being pried into her by the people around her, but her fatigue was getting to her. She needed sleep. Actually, Kiki mused to herself, she wanted it. No demon to deal with in her dreams for the next few weeks. She visibly shivered as she thought about the last time her demon had invaded her dreams.

He had tried to kiss her then and she had fought back. Now she dryly thought to herself, next time they met in her dreams she wouldn't be able to resist unless she wanted to break her promise to him. It was so frustrating. It made her heart hurt, so badly. Still, she just couldn't bring herself to cry. The pain she was feeling began to tear at the threads of happiness the thoughts of a festival had given her. Why her. What had she ever done to deserve this punishment? Wasn't taking her mother away enough? She'd never done anything wrong and yet…Why?

Kiki was gripping on the keys she held in her hand so tight, that the serrated edge of it cut into her palm. Blood began to drip to the floor in slow steady streams of crimson, and the smell of its sweet coppery scent slowly roused Kiki from her thoughts. She blinked, once, twice, and then she looked down at her hand. Her face was hollow of all expression as she watched the gapping cut heal itself. How ironic that the one thing she wanted more than anything, was just out of her grasp. Peace…Safety…Death…

Kiki's arms hung motionlessly to her sides, and shoulders sagged heavily in their sockets. She made her way to the bathroom in a sluggish motion. She did not even falter when the blood coated keys in her hand slipped from her fingers to the ground, left there forgotten and useless, as Kiki walked into the open door. She was shaking and unsteady as she supported herself on the frame of the door of the bathroom. Reluctantly, she looked to the mirror to her right.

She placed her hands on either side of the bathroom sink and leaned her face in closer to the mirror. It was dark in the little room, lit only by the main room's light gliding in from the doorway, but that did not bother Kiki in the least. She halfheartedly gazed at the reflection before her. Same face. Seemingly the same face as she'd always seen, but there was a difference. It was her face, not her mother's. Kiki felt her grip on the sink tile tighten. With one anguished swoop, Kiki swiped her blooded hand across the mirror, smearing her reflection with crimson.

Her face tightened into a deep frown as she fought to hold back the tears that threatened to take her. Everything in her life seemed to go wrong. Her life was an endless void of misery she mused inwardly to herself, something between a devastatingly heartbreaking smile and a smirk filled with emptiness and grief slowly pulling at the corners of her lips. Lightly, as if she would break, Kiki traced her fingers down the side of her face, cold blood leaving gruesome streaks down her cheek. Her eyes were dark and held no sign of life within their usually shinning depths. She just didn't know what to do anymore.

Suddenly and without warning, Kiki slapped herself across the face. The force of the hit had been so strong, that the side of her face was beginning to swell the moment her hand made contact. That quick jab of pain though, managed to bolt Kiki from her desperate thoughts and self pity. Her eyes widened and her mouth tightened painfully into a thin line. What was she thinking?

Kiki immediately turned the sink water to scolding hot and proceeded to scrub at the blood off every inch of her skin and the bathroom mirror, ignoring the burning sensations scratching at her skin as she did so. Once all the blood from the bathroom was cleaned, she then rushed over to where the keys lay on the ground and threw those into the half full sink of soapy water. She grabbed a washcloth from the rack above her head and threw it into the bubbly water as well, then began to grind the dried blood from the key edges with her nails.

Once the keys were clean, she slowly picked up the soaked washcloth and ringed it out of the crimson water. There was a small smile on her face as she began inwardly scolding herself for being so weak. How could she have let such thoughts cross her mind, she wondered to herself. Besides, she had her health, her youth, and her freedom, though sometimes she began to doubt this. She had not been caught by the Akatsuki, her demon was sealed away for a few weeks, and she was going to get to go to a festival. What did she have to complain about?

Kiki made her way over to where the blood stained carpet was located near the door, washcloth in hand, and slowly got on her knees before beginning to scrub at the red spots. Her movements were less feverish now, more calm and controlled. It did not take long for her to completely remove the blood from the carpet, but she was still exhausted. She'd been beyond tired, she reasoned with herself, that's way she had been acting the way she had. She needed sleep.

With a beaming smile back on her face and a slight bounce in her stride, Kiki made her way over to the bathroom, drained the sink of its contents, and began her short journey towards her bed. Her spirits were in high hopes once again about the festival and she was greatly anticipating what would possibly be the best sleep she'd had in seven years, when she last used the Dicer leaves. Her heart was gridding with excitement.

As Kiki came to the side of the simple one person bed, she bent down and felt about underneath it till she found what she was looking for. She pulled a new pair of wooden sandals with a spotless white pair of socks folded inside them. She smiled to herself as she held the shoes in her hands. Today was the day she'd conquer the art of wearing shoes she announced inwardly to herself, holding her head up high as she did so. Besides, Kiki reasoned with herself, she needed to cover up the seal on her foot anyway. So why not learn the ways of the shoes as she did so. Two birds with one stone she laughed silently.

Curious, Kiki slipped the fluffy white socks from their nests in the sandal's souls and examined them. She eyed them, poked them, stretched them, sniffed them, rubbed them on her cheek, and even licked them before she was convinced they were not going to attack her. Then she took the next step, putting the wiggly white pieces of cloth on, and well, she did pretty well for a beginner she'd think. If only they weren't on upside-down. Kiki found the socks very strange. Curiously Kiki curled her toes around the bump line that was lined up with the creases of where her toes bent. It felt funny to her, but not unpleasant. It was just new.

Even with the slight awkwardness of the foot devouring white snakes, Kiki actually found she liked the socks. They were very comfortable and felt weird when she tried to stretch her toes out. In a good way of weird though. She brought her covered foot up to her face and hugged the side of her calf to her chest to hold the foot in position. She waved her foot about her face as if it were a worm and smiled at how strange her foot looked. She also had to wonder to herself, now that she'd worn the socks once, did that mean her feet would be NAKED when she took them off. She blushed at the thought. Now she wouldn't be able to show her naked feet to other people.

Kiki decided she'd had enough with debating the subject of naked feet to herself, and snuggled up under the blankets. Sleep was approaching her swiftly, but her thoughts were still running about in her mind. She thought about how deliciously warm it was under the covers and that lead her wonder, did she really actually dislike warmth so much? She had always told herself that anything warm was bad, but now she had to wonder to herself. Without her demon to torment her, without her demon to tear at her soul, did she truly despise the feeling of being warm? She was confused, but as she slipped into a deep sleep she came to a final conclusion. She did not dislike being warm…only empty.

That bitch! The nerve she had to ignore him in such a way, as if he wasn't even there. She wouldn't even talk to him; react to his mocking anyway, like he wasn't worth her time. Hidan was seething to himself, not only had he ended up flat on his back twice because of the little bitch they were chasing, but she didn't even have the gull to stop and at the least mock him about it. He didn't even know her name. She hadn't even been kind enough to give him that much. Fuck, how rude!

Hidan was angry, pissed, but he was not necessarily angered by the thought of the girl getting away, but that she hadn't even had to intentionally set him up to humiliate him in front of the entire Akatsuki. Well, most of them, but Leader was sure to hear about how he'd ended up flat on his back twice because of a _**girl**_. It was outrageous, he of the infamous zombie twins being outsmarted and outclassed by a barefoot girl. Scandalous!

Hidan's head twitched slightly in annoyance as he made a quick leap for the next branch before him. He was traveling through the dense forest with Kisame, while the other Akatsuki had took their own separate routes to cut off all escape routes the young woman could possibly use once they got to the village the woman was at. Zetsu had already given them the broad area of where the girl was, but not the exact location. This meant that the Akatsuki would have to check all the villages separately then call for the other Akatsuki when they found something. Why'd he have to end up with Kisame, Hidan sneered inwardly to himself.

It was true that Hidan was holding a deep grudge against Kisame for actually getting a response of some sort from the woman. A smile of all things. She had the arrogance to smile at Kisame's words but not show fear at his threats or defiance to his commands. She'd only ever ignored him, and Hidan couldn't stand being ignored. What was making Hidan's rage even finer though, was that he shouldn't even care. The sad fact though, was that he did.

Kakuzu ignored him, Kisame ignored him, Itachi ignored him, all the other Akatsuki ignored him unless he became so unbearably loud and annoying they directed their negativity at him. That was how he got their attention, but that just didn't work with the bitch. She simply didn't seem to acknowledge his existence. At the very least the other Akatsuki would mock him or give him orders from the leader, but not her. She didn't even spare him one lousy little insignificant word of acknowledgment. She gave Kisame a smile though, a smile.

Kisame could feel the endless waves of silent rage flowing off Hidan like liquid fire. It had never been too hard to tell when Hidan was mad. Kisame reasoned with himself that Hidan was so wiled up by the fact that he had been humiliated by the woman they were after in front of the others. Kisame laughed lightly to himself at the visual image of Hidan laying flat on his back with a huge and swelling bump protruding from his forehead. The laugh, though it was no more that a whisper in the wind, did not go unnoticed by Hidan, who glared up at him with a passion.

"Fuck man. If you've got something to say, then fucken say it to my face bastered." Hidan sneered at the much bigger blue skinned man, readying his hand on the handle of his scythe, though much to his annoyance Kisame simply laughed louder and paid Hidan's words no mind. "Answer me damnit!" Hidan bellowed in a murderous fury.

"What's there to say Hidan?" Kisame mocked Hidan in his usual deep toned voice with a taunting smirk pulling at his pale blue colored lips, but Hidan obviously missed the humor of the mockery and drew his weapon with a challenging intent, causing both of them to come to a halt. "You honestly wish to fight me right now Hidan?" Kisame questioned Hidan with a light smirk, gripping the handle of his sword.

"Why not? If you're going to fucken ignore me, then why keep you the fuck around?" Hidan growled at Kisame with a low predatory edge to its sinister indications, though Kisame remained amazingly calm despite his own massive desire for a good fight to take the edge off his own bloodlust. "What do you say?" Hidan edged Kisame on, getting into his fighting stance.

"Tempting, very tempting, but we have a mission to complete. Perhaps after we capture our target we can finish this little dispute." Kisame assured Hidan with a characteristic good humored smile/smirk and a haughty laugh to the easily riled man in front of him, though Hidan still being on edge only slightly loosened his grip on his scythe.

Hidan smirked in acceptance after some time to think about the other's offer and eased his grip on his scythe handle completely letting his arm hang limp to his side. Kisame felt the sudden calmness flood through Hidan and also released his hold of Shark-skin before they continued on their way towards their target. That was just the way it was in the Akatsuki, kill or be killed the strong kill off the weak. That is, unless, there can be peaceful compromise of sorts.

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**Author's Note**

**Now you know a bit more about Kiki, and you know there are some things in her past that haunt her. Sometimes I fear I maybe being a bit too cruel to Kiki. What do you think?**


	6. Chapter 6 12

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: That last chapter was sad, but that maybe just me. Memories are important to people, even to Kiki, though sometimes she wishes she could forget everything in her past.

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**

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Six: Festival of Games**

Kiki woke from her dreamless sleep with a small smile planted deeply on her wide lips. How long had it been since she could sleep in true peace, without a perverted demon screwing with her mind every dreaded second of her nightmares. This she did know, but rather not think about less it ruins her night. Instead, she stretched her arms to her side and arched her back up until she heard a satisfied pop erupted from somewhere in her lower back. That night would be a good night, she was sure of it.

She flipped nonchalantly onto her stomach with a mighty bounce from the bed's springs and began a slow delicious stretch into a position in which her bottom was raised high and proudly into the air and her arms stretched straight out in front of her. Much like a cat, only without the fur. This style of 'wake up stretching' was not proper in the least Kiki mused to herself with a small smile, but it was by far more effective than simply arcing her back into an awkward position for half an hour. That just hurt.

With her wake up stretches out of the way, Kiki rolled back onto her back lazily and let her head flop onto her soft white pillow. She stared up at the ceiling with a blank expression, until a blush once again came to her cheeks in a light shade of rosy red. What was she going to do about her clothes? They were filthy she was sure. That was also another thought getting to her. What was she going to do about her naked feet without another pair of socks? What a dilemma she was in. Truly.

Slowly, Kiki lifted her foot from under her covers and watched in mild fascination as her white foot wiggled freely about in the air. She smiled at how funny her foot looked with clothes on and then the thought hit her, was that what babies thought when they first started wearing clothes? The thought scratched at her brain for a while until she finally came to the conclusion that that WAS what babies thought about clothes. No wonder they put up such a fight about getting dressed. Poor things.

Kiki shook her head at the irony of having to wear clothes all the time and looked out to the window to the side of her bed. The sun was just setting and the festival was about to start. She could see the beautiful rays of reds, blues, oranges, yellows, and other dazzling colors lining the streets of the little town. She gazed at the bursts of light below her windows and allowed her mind to wonder off into the deepest corners of her mind. The festival was so beautiful. Beautiful with life.

A young girl in a tattered brown dress was what Kiki saw as her mind wondered farther and farther into her memories. The girl was wandering, with nowhere to go, nobody to care for her, nobody who wanted her. She was alone. No one saw her as she walked alone through the world. The people around the young girl simply kept walking away. Confusion. Depression. The girl did not understand why these things were happening to her. What had she done wrong?

Kiki's eyes began to close in the bitter remembrance of her past as tears began to gather in the eyes of the young girl waiting on the side of the road, lost and alone. She lowered her head as she watched the girl leaning against an old tree trying to hold back the tears that no one would see. The girl did not know what to do. Sorrow. Abandonment. Despair.

The girl could hear the voice in her head again. He wanted her to cry, to hate the world as he does. He says the world is a horrible place, a monster that with consume her piece by piece. He says that she is all alone. He says no one wants her. She believes this is true. He says that her father hated her, that her mother chose the village over her. The girl begs him to stop with tears in her eyes. He doesn't. He wants to see her suffer. He wants her to break.

Kiki can feel the tears gathering in her own eyes as the young girl in her memories begins to shake in fear. The girl does not want to sleep, though she is so very tired. The girl wants her mother, but she knows her mother is never coming back. The girl doesn't want to be left alone, but the truth was, she was never truly alone, in her mind, where her demon was. The girl watches the sun go down, and pushes her thin and frail body to the cold lifeless tree for comfort. The sound of a wolf howling and the visions of shadows creeping closer and closer to the girl can be seen in Kiki's mind. Stop, please stop.

Kiki's eyes suddenly snapped open wide and her breathing heaved with every forced breath she took. She had been shaking to the point where her hands were subconsciously clutching in on themselves but had been too absorbed in her own memories to notice. Her eyes were shining in a liquid glow as the evidence of her tears, still held unshed, shone at the corners of her eyes. She was so weak Kiki scolded herself. Indeed, Kiki believed it so.

There was a sudden jolt of pain in Kiki's foot and she knew exactly what it was. Her demon was feeding off her sorrows, making him stronger. Kiki frowned at the thought of her demon feeding off her like a bloodthirsty leech, but quickly shook her head at the negativity of the idea. She was going to a festival. What was she doing being all depressing she wondered to herself with a small smile. Tonight would be a good night. A festival…how fun!

Kiki was about to get out of the little bouncy bed she was sitting on, but a sudden spike of awareness stopped her in mid-motion before her foot could touch the ground. She suddenly felt a wave of relief and seriousness wash over her in a light spray that gradually became clearer and clearer by the second. Kiki knew then that someone was approaching her, from where, she didn't know, but they were defiantly Akatsuki. This she could feel by the slight pulling of her heart.

Before Kiki had a chance to even attempt an escape she could sense the Akatsuki in the room with her from the rhythmic waves of emotions rushing to her, but she couldn't see him. She was confused. She could have sworn that she felt the Akatsuki no more the six feet away from her. In front of her for that matter, but he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was going crazy, she mused to herself with a light smile. She wouldn't have been surprised.

Amusement. Kiki felt a soft ting of amusement fill the room and she frowned in confusion. Whoever was in the room with her was amused for some reason. Then Kiki noticed something strange. Something unnerving. There were two separate emotions coming from the same person, or thing, Kiki thought to herself with a tilt of the head. She couldn't recall a time that she'd ever encountered a human being that had ever possessed two sets of emotions at once. Kiki's eyebrows pulled together in a questioning stare as she continued to gaze at the area in which she felt the Akatsuki's presence the strongest.

"It appears **you are no ordinary ninja**, but we suppose **we should have known this.**" Came the deep, masculine rumble of two bodiless voices from somewhere within Kiki's room, the floor she noticed as Kiki pulled the blanket laying about her body up the front of her chest a bit and her eyes immediately began to search the floor area where his voice was loudest. "**Silent** aren't you?" The voice continued in an undistinguishable tone after receiving no words from the girl, though Kiki could clearly sense that the man/men were faintly annoyed at her silence.

Kiki wanted to answer the man/men so badly, she did not want to insult him/them by not answering, but she could not. She couldn't speak, but she couldn't _tell_ him that. She sometimes, truly, really, disliked being mute. It was so frustrating to not be able to communicate with others. All her life, even as the adult she was, Kiki had been ignored by others simply because she couldn't call out to them, because they never took the time to just look her way, because…of her demon.

Kiki felt her heart drop into her gut at the memory of how'd she lost her voice. She felt suddenly like she was drowning. Drowning in her own memories…her nightmares. God she wanted them to stop, but the memories just kept on coming faster and faster, the screaming, the begging, the tears, the hate, the fear, the confusion, the despair, the pain, the chaos, the betrayal, her mother. Kiki's wanted to scream inside, to rip out her hair and slam her head into the ground until her brains were scrambled beyond what she could heal and her face was no longer recognizable. She wanted her mother's memory to go away forever. She wanted so badly to die. Alas, despite the raging war within her own mind, Kiki's face remained blank, seemingly in confusion as to where the voices were coming from.

Kiki was suddenly snapped out of her retched memories as the crackling sound of splitting made its way to her ears. She immediately looked up to find a something so strange that she actually was tempted to pinch herself just to be sure that she hadn't fallen asleep again or had actually waken up in the first place. There, in the middle of her hotel room floor, was a fly trap springing out from her floor. Kiki's eyes widened a fraction on an inch at the sight, and to say she was surprised, definitely did the situation no justice.

"Seems she's shocked… **Terrified is more like it**." The voices once again began in their weird double toned voices, and Kiki knew without a doubt that the voices where coming from inside the leafage that was situated inside of her floor.

The dark-green foliage slowly parted and Kiki could then clearly see the man/men/thing that resided inside of the protective leaf covering. It was a man with lush leaf green hair and fluid yellow eyes that shone like stars in the shade of his cover. Those weren't the only eye-catching features she saw though; he was also bi-colored, half white and half black down the middle from what she could see. What a strange man/thing Kiki thought to herself while tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

The multi colored man gave Kiki an observant stare as she continued to stare back at them in a childish curiosity that shone deeply in her beautiful eyes. He could feel himself becoming unnerved by her silent gaze, since it was obviously not fear that drove her lack of words. Such things he was not use to. Either he was feared or hated by those around him, but this woman in front of him lacked both of these. She simply seemed curious, but those eyes of hers seemed distant, like he was being pulled into a dark cave in with he would never be able to escape. It was frightening, though they'd never admit that to anyone but themselves.

Kiki could feel the man's uneasiness as well and knew that her silence was the cause of it. She thought on this matter for about a good ten seconds before she got an idea. A dang good idea in her mind. She'd simply gesture to him. That was bound to work, right? She'd simply use her hands and indicate what she was trying to say by using them as pointers and such. Why hadn't she thought of that to begin with, she silently asked herself with a small smile gracing her unpainted lips.

The effect was immediately. Shockingly immediate actually, Kiki thought briefly to herself. The moment she had clasped her fingers lightly to her throat and opened her mouth as if to speak, the plant man in front of her seemed to get the basic idea of what she was indicating. Kiki smiled as the bi-colored man let out a low huffing like sound in understanding, before looking directly into Kiki's lush brown eyes. He was examining her she instantly realized, and Kiki could instantly feel the change of mood around him. He was cautious, though no longer irritated.

"**So you are the girl** the Akatsuki are after?" Zetsu questioned the young woman, who was still sitting on the bed in front of him, with an eyebrow raised while continuing to search her delicately tanned face for any hint of deceit or aggression, though Kiki merely continued to stare at him with a inquisitive expression before she gave him an assured nod of the head.

That defiantly put Zetsu's mind temporarily out of order. Had she just admitted to him that she was being pursued by the Akatsuki? Him, an Akatsuki member himself. Perhaps the woman has a death wish the two sides of Zetsu questioned one another with some confusion running about in their unheard tones. This was something they were not use to. Usually they'd have to detect when their target was lying, not having to determine whether or not they telling them the plain honest truth up front. Perhaps they had underestimated the girl.

"So you are mute then? **Interesting**." Zetsu mused to himself aloud as he closely watched the girl tilt her head to the side once again causing her fuzzy bed headed locks to sway about her face in untamed tangles despite most of the strands being held back in messy bun, he came to the conclusion that tilting her head was her way of expressing curiosity. "Well then, **we have a proposal for you**." Zetsu's halves continued, instantly snapping the young woman from her childish stare.

Kiki gave the man before her a suspicious glare as she crossed her arms over her chest and inclined her head towards him in an accusing manner with her lips pursed out in an obviously forced frown. She wasn't partially mad at the man/men. She just didn't completely trust him. Her demon had assured that she be suspicious of _proposals_ at all times. Actually, who wouldn't question his motives. He was an Akatsuki, an Akatsuki who she knew very little about, yet he seemed to know a great deal about her. Still, her posture gave off the impression of a young pouting child, and she could feel the amusement slowly beginning to roll off of the plant man in thick waves.

"**As you know**, the Akatsuki are after you. We should simply capture you right here, **but we wish to** make a deal. **More like a game**." Zetsu began to explain with a small smirk to the young woman in front of him with a calm unhurried manner, though the young woman's eyes suddenly widening in what Zetsu would have deciphered as excitement before he continued. "**You manage to shock us **two times by the end of the night, **then we'll leave you be**. We won't inform the other Akatsuki of **your current location **or assist in your capture anymore than **we are required to**. **The catch though**, is that you'll have to restrain from using your summoning creature." Zetsu explained in monotone, though the young woman was still staring into Zetsu's eyes expectantly, in a childish passion that made Zetsu seriously question the woman's maturity.

Kiki was ecstatic. No. That didn't even begin to describe the feelings that were coursing wildly through her being like liquid fire. How long had it been since she had gone to a festival? How long had it been since she had actually been able to speak to someone? Actually speak. Well. She wasn't talking, but still, he was speaking to her. She, to put it simply, had never been happier to have a group of rouge ninja tracking her down. That in its self was saying something.

"**On the turn side** of this deal though **should we shock you two** times before the night is out, **then you will agree to willingly** join the Akatsuki without question." Zetsu told the young woman with a small unfeeling frown that was meant give him a look of complete and utter seriousness, though Kiki could clearly sense that he was thoroughly amused by all this and that he was anxious to hear her answer. "**What** do you say?" Zetsu inquired with a small smirk.

Kiki's response had been immediate. So immediate that Zetsu had to wonder if the young woman had known that this was coming, but that would have been impossible. They had never met before. Her head was nodding with a furious passion that made Zetsu raise a curious eyebrow as to why she was so excited to be playing a win or lose game with an Akatsuki member, a malformed one at that. This woman was a weird one all right. Didn't matter though, Zetsu thought to himself, because there was simply no way she would be able to shock them. Being spies, they had seen many horrors and knew so many dark secrets about the world that nothing could surprise them anymore. They were going to win.

Kiki gazed down at the dancing lights below her window shinning forth from the darkness as she felt Zetsu's curious stare on the back of her head. It was so beautiful. She wanted to tell the man before her that, but she couldn't. She wanted to tell him so many things, but she just simply couldn't. They didn't even know each other on any other level then new acquaintances, but she wanted to speak to him. Just to be heard. Just so that way she could know she existed somewhere other than in her own mind.

Zetsu looked upon the young woman and had to wonder to himself, what was that woman thinking? He had always thought his ability to pick up on what others were thinking was great, but he couldn't seem to figure this woman out. It was like. She had so many different thoughts and feeling running through her mind at once that she herself didn't know. Zetsu could feel and sense many things within her, but he couldn't pinpoint one specific part of her emotions without it being immediately replaced with a new one. This woman was confusing. One moment she acts like a child receiving a gift, and then the next minute she's about ready to cry as if she is beyond the point of frustration. Like she was now. Zetsu had to wonder to himself. How could this woman survive the way she had?

Kiki looked up at the stars glittering endlessly among the sea of black ink above the world below them, their faces twinkling as they blinked down at the people joyously laughing within the festival. She felt her heart give a leap at how beautiful they were, before an idea suddenly hit her full on in the face. Slowly she turned to face the Akatsuki member, who was still observing her with a blank expression, before giving him a kindly smile that pulled lightly on the edges of her shinning lips. She pointed to herself and then to Zetsu, and then to Zetsu's complete SHOCK, she pointed down towards the lighted streets with a big childish grin.

Zetsu was beyond shocked at what the woman was indicating. She wanted to go to the festival with him. Well, if she had been planning on winning this game quickly. She was succeeding. Obviously the woman had felt his shock, though his face had remained emotionless as it almost always was, and had pointed towards herself triumphantly and then put one of her fingers up in the air. She had one point, and he had zero. Perhaps Zetsu had seriously under estimated the girl.

Still, it had not only been the fact that she had indicated that she wanted to go to the festival with him that had shocked him so badly. It was that she was serious about wanting to go the festival with him. That she was not repulsed by his appearance, in fact, she didn't even seem to be bothered by his appearance. Curious yes, but not disgusted. She was honestly treating him like any other human being. Almost as if there was nothing different about him from anyone else. This girl certainly was a strange one.

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Itachi's face was emotionless. As it always was. A vast hollow nothingness which no light could penetrate. He was unreadable. Perfectly flawless in remaining a shadow in which none could ever see. No one could know what he was thinking, what he was feeling. He had perfected the art of deception. But that woman had done it. She had seen through his mask and seen the true him. He could see it in her eyes as he had reached out to her, attempting to seize her. She had seen him. Seen what he was feeling. Seen his pain and his misery. His weaknesses.

She was dangerous. Far more dangerous to him than any other Akatsuki member. She could read him so easily. So clearly. She knew what he was feeling. She could see right through him, and nothing he did could change that. She was not so dangerous in the sense of raw physical power or even in the sense of nin and gen jutsus, but the very fact that she could read the Akatsuki with such accuracy made her a danger. Because there would be nothing they could hide from her. She would see through their deceptions. Even his own. In truth, perhaps, just maybe in the farthest reaches of his being, he held something resembling fear of the woman.

Itachi's eyes were powerful, but there was something that he had seen, or not seen, that had made him wary of the woman. He couldn't quite read her. He could, but he couldn't. It was frustrating. Her mind was never holding still, she was always filled, drowning in emotions. Most of which, Itachi could not decipher. The strain of the sheer amount of its density was too great. His head began to buzz just thinking back on it. It gave him a throbbing head ache.

A large shadow flickered against the pale face of the moon and rolled over Itachi's blurred form as the man continued to jump from tree to tree with a liquid grace rivaling that of a cat's. Itachi did not even have to look up to know that Deidara was soaring atop his clay owl above him, carefully scouting the area below for any sign of the elusive woman. Indeed, as always, Itachi was right in his assessment. Deidara was searching for the young woman who had gave him the slip so easily.

Deidara glanced down towards the ground and saw his fellow Akatsuki member, his _comrade _as many would put it, Itachi gliding from tree to tree like a pale ghost in the night. He felt a deep and overwhelming urge to drop a bomb right on Itachi's pretty little head, but Deidara managed to reframe himself from such an impulsive action. But just barely. Deidara couldn't stand Itachi. How emotionless and high and mighty he was. It frustrated Deidara to no end. Another thing that frustrated him though, was that woman who had made him look like a fool in front of the other Akatsuki.

Bees. The nerve! She had been able to all but catch him off guard with bees. Bees that weren't even there. Genjutsu. She hadn't even made a hand sign though, and there was no way she could be as fast as or even faster than Itachi at hand signs. That was just not humanly possible. So yeah he was ticked, and his face still stung slightly from when he'd slapped himself in the face attempting to_ smash_ the bee that had invaded his nose. That had been embarrassing. He still could hear Hidan's laughter. That bastered.

Deidara flopped down on his rump and crossed his arms sulkingly as his clay owl made a sharp left. He had been tricked by the woman, a young woman. About his age, likely somewhat older. An obviously physically weaker woman then many female ninja. Most of them. Certainly weaker then the Akatsuki. Still, she was a clever and brave woman, or maybe just stupid. Deidara wasn't quite sure, but when he'd seen her healing herself with such apparent ease, he had been so shocked and amazed his mind still reeled when he thought of it. Yes he was very intrigued. So much so, that he couldn't help but feel respect for the woman. She was talented.

Deidara dwelled on the thought of the young woman for some time as he soared through the frosty night, watching his warm white breath fan out before him in a light mist before being blown into his face. Damn it was cold. The harvesting season was near its end and winter was just around the corner. The cold and desolate winters that ravished the lands year after year. Frigid and unforgiving. Oh how he hated it. Deidara shivered at the sudden drop in temperature as the wind about him picked up. It was official, he hated the cold.

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**Author's Note**

**I finally got this chapter up. I feel so excited. I also can't wait to hear what you think of it. Please review…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: Kiki is such a nice person I think. You are free to your own opinions though. Kiki and Zetsu are now going to go to the festival together…I wonder what will happen.

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Seven: First Enemy, First Friend**

Zetsu carefully watched the strange woman in front of him in mild fascination from his seat from the hotel rooms little table as she walked shyly out of the bathroom, with her new outfit hanging loosely from her form and her brown tilted black hair in a white tower wrapped neatly on her head. Zetsu thought she looked pretty to say the least, though she was admittedly not model material. Still, her body had nice curves that waved elegantly down her hips and waist. She breasts were probably of a medium size and her face was bright and lively with her youth. She really was very pretty. Beautiful even.

She had insisted on showering and changing her clothes into her new set before going out to the Jewel's Festival for the night, having gestured to him that she had been wearing the same clothes for some time. Zetsu had to give the girl one thing though, at least she was modest unlike some of the woman he's seen running about. Especially in the leaf village. Zetsu cringed at the reminder on some of their ninja's clothing, or lack of it. Maybe a bit too modest though, Zetsu thought to himself as he watched her blush and shift her feet slowly to move in the direction of the one person bed.

Amusement. As soon as Zetsu realized what had the woman so fidgety, he couldn't keep the small smile from crossing other his bi-colored face. She had actually wrapped her feet in two separate towels, and was now taking little baby steps towards the bed with her socks in hand. This woman was simply too much. And childish. Zetsu shook his head lightly at the woman's strange antics and raised a green eyebrow at the woman as she finally made it to the bed and hid her feet out of his view. Weird.

Zetsu himself was sitting silently in the little room's table chair, simply watching the other's movements and assessing her reactions to nothing in particular. The chair was small and simple, but he had to admit, it was pretty comfortable. Zetsu was confused about something though, why did he feel so at ease around this woman. Sure, she wasn't much of a threat to him, or any of the other Akatsuki physically, but she was still their _enemy_. Target actually, but same concept. He had even allowed himself to be seen without his fly trap on by her. His protection. From everything. Perhaps there was something wrong with them.

Kiki, having slipped her socks back on, looked back from her seat on the bed and smiled at the plant man in a sweet and childish way, before she firmly held her brand new wooden sandals to her chest and ran up to him. She lifted her priced possessions for the other to see and beamed as she did so. She was so proud of her shoes and her spotless white socks that she just had to show them off. Zetsu on the other had only raised an eyebrow at this and let his lips curl up into something resembling a smile, but not quite. Was this the same girl that had evaded the Akatsuki twice?

Zetsu just didn't know anymore. Everything about this woman seemed off. Zetsu had to wonder to himself, how much human contact had this girl had throughout her life time. Zetsu's eyes immediately turned to the woman as she proceeded to inspect the sandals in her hands. Then, by some act of nature completely beyond him, she began to lightly nibble at the heel of the wooden sandal, only to cringe away a moment later. She defiantly was lacking social interaction.

"**A very strange woman." **Raised eyebrow.

"Unmistakable so. Perhaps this will be easier than we originally thought."

"…**or harder."** Inner frown.

"Please explain." Pulls brows together.

Deep sigh. **"She is unpredictable and not of any character we have yet to come in contact with."**

"So we can't read her accurately." Tilts head inwardly.

"**Exactly. Farther more, she can read us."**

"Vexing. How she can hold her emotions on a sleeve…"

"**Yet have too many held there to decipher any particular one."** Inner grimace.

"She is a challenge then?"

"**Undeniably."**

"This is bad yes?" Inward frown.

"**Not necessarily."** Inner smirk.

"………" raises eyebrow in confusion.

"**She is…confusing yes, but her complexity may work to the Akatsuki's advantage."**

"I see. So if she can't be read by us…"

"**Then she can't be read by others as well."**

"You are a genius." Inner smile.

"**Perhaps, but there is a down side to this." **Inwardly closing eyes in thought.

"Unreliability."

"**Exactly."**

"Very troublesome woman indeed."

Zetsu was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a gentle tug on his sleeve. The woman was looking up at him with deeply worried eyes and a small frown set delicately on her unpainted lips. She was concerned. Zetsu looked down to the fabric of his cloak she was holding and immediately noticed the reason for her distress. In her hands she held the fabric piece where a red crimson cloud was boldly imprinted into the black background. Zetsu had to smile at this. She had actually thought that he'd forgotten.

With a few hand signs Zetsu easily changed his cloaks appearance into that of a plain black shirt and black pair of pants with a red sash wrapped around his narrow waist. His yellow eyes seemed to suddenly glow like liquid fire as the color difference clashed. Black on yellow. Kiki couldn't help but stare at the sudden change of appearance that just a simple change of cloth seemed to have on the man's body. He looked much younger and his posture looked bolder and more...dominate. Kiki tilted her head in curiosity at the sudden change. He looked pretty, she mused to herself.

Kiki looked down at her own outfit and blinked a few times in seeming puzzlement. She had never been one to dwell in her vanity. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she was even pretty. She merely thought of herself as just another person. Lack of social interaction had made her sense of what is and isn't normal blurry. She was sure though, that Zetsu looked pretty. Especially when his eyes caught the light. It reminded her of the stars outside her window, and she couldn't seem to stop staring into them. She wondered if Zetsu knew he had pretty eyes.

Zetsu looked down at the woman and found her staring intently into his eyes. Her gaze was bold but still soft with mild curiosity, as if she were admiring them. Zetsu inwardly shook off the idea. He was the very semblance of a monster and she was bound to know that. Anyone who was to see him would be cautious and repulsed, but over the years he had come to terms with this fact. He would never be attractive. People were merely like that. Once something is classified as _normal_, most became repulsed by anything less.

Why was he so curious as to what she thought about him? Zetsu had to wonder to himself as he gazed into her soft brown eyes. Maybe it was because she seemed different from the others. Yes, perhaps so. She had been among the first normal people to actually accept him for simply being what he was. Different. Both of them were different, him outwardly and she inwardly. Perhaps it was because neither of them had been able to make it into the category of normal. Zetsu continued to stare back at the woman beside him and felt his eyes soften slightly as she gave him a gentle smile and gentle placed her smaller hand into his own. A date?

Zetsu's mind could not quite keep up with what was happening as he was suddenly pulled out of the hotel room and all but dragged down the hall by a much excited young woman. When they came to the top of the flight of stairs though, he was quickly able to bring himself back to what was happening around him. She was smiling up at him with her eyes were shining in earnest, had latched onto his arm, and was now waiting for him to do something. Zetsu looked back down at her and set his face into an impassive expression before taking the hint.

Zetsu took hold of her hand and slowly lead her down the stairs as a _boyfriend_ would with his _girlfriend_. They were not together, but at the moment this was not going though Zetsu's or Kiki's mind. They simply were. The hotel desk woman gave them a wide eyed expression of shock as she watched Kiki walking down the flight of stairs with a green haired, yellow eyed, bi-colored young man in black. She was terrified. Not of Kiki, but of who the young woman was with. A freak. A ninja no less. The scene before her did not seem to click right in her pretty little head. Ah yes, commoners were so easily _amused_, Zetsu mused to himself.

Kiki felt her heart begin to pound in her chest in anticipation as she and Zetsu came to the front door. She ignored the desk woman's somewhat repulsed stare and looked longing at Zetsu instead, but frowned lightly as she felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. Kiki could not bring herself to like or dislike the commoner for being the way they are. They were strange and at times nasty things yes, but they were also still living creatures just like the wild animals Kiki had come to love. How could Kiki bring herself to dislike anything that was alive, that had feelings as well, and that _was simply ignorant of the world around them_. The common person. Sheltered away from the rest of the world. All its wonders and all its beauty. Kiki pitied them that. Sometimes Kiki felt that the commoner had a very hard life. One filled with ignorance and intolerance. Sure, there were those few who could see past differences and see the good in others of_ variety_, but overall, the common people were not very nice in Kiki's eyes.

No words were spoken. None were needed, as Zetsu and Kiki opened the hotel's front door. The only thing blocking their way to the outside world. Instantly they were abruptly greeted by a blinding array of bright lights as they stepped out into the street pavement. It was beautiful. So beautiful with a flurry of colors and life. Noisy game booths of laughing children and delicious smelling food stands lined very street and very storefront. Kiki felt her mouth water at the thought of warm, delicious food and her heart thump with the thought of playing games all night. Without her demon, she thought gleefully.

It had been a_ few_ days since Kiki had eaten anything and her stomach was roaring loudly with anticipation. This did not go unnoticed by Zetsu. He turned to look at her and felt a small frown fall upon his oddly colored lips. For the first time since he'd first seen her, he noticed how thin she was. Her face was slightly sunken in and her small hands were boney and frail. How, had he not noticed before, Zetsu thought to himself with a small twitch of the eyebrow. Some spy he was, he belittled himself. If he couldn't even have seen this.

Her clothes. Of course. Oh, she was good. Either she was very modest, very likely, or was hiding her physical fatigue. Or both. Zetsu frowned in deep frustration at how perplexing this woman was. But she acted so healthy. Perhaps her healing abilities came into play with this? Zetsu wondered on this for no more than thirty seconds until there was a light tug on his sleeve. He looked down guardedly to find the young woman holding on to his sleeve looking up at him in concern. Did she know what he was thinking?

Kiki had felt Zetsu's frustration suddenly spike up like a wave almost immediately after they had exited the building, but couldn't decipher why he was so riled up all of a sudden. There were just too many muddled emotions running rapid throughout the place for her to actually concentrate clearly. So she had done the only thing she could do. Try to get his attention. It had worked, but she noticed that his eyes were slightly clouded over, as if deep in thought. He was thinking about something frustrating, and it was causing him distress. She knew this was true. Kiki just couldn't help but feel concern for her…

Kiki suddenly felt her heart drop and tighten painfully in her chest. He was her enemy. Wasn't he? Her first enemy. The Akatsuki were, in essence, her first ever enemy. And there was nothing she could really do about that, other than allow herself to be captured. But. She didn't want that. She knew what would happen. She knew what always happened. She just, couldn't put anyone through that. Never again. She'd rather live her life alone. Forever wandering the earth as a faceless and lonely soul without a reason or a purpose. For that was her fate.

"**Hey woman.** Are you okay?" Zetsu inquired of the young woman in a somewhat soft tone with a small frown of observation as he watched her emotionlessly solemn face, but at hearing his voice she abruptly look up at him with a sudden shine of youthful light glowing deeply within her brown depths.

Zetsu sighed deeply at the woman's childish tactics, drawing out a small tilt of the head from the woman next to him. What a strange woman. No matter what he did, how he assessed the actions she took, he just couldn't seem to figure her out. It was like. She was always. Zetsu just didn't know. But if he had to assume anything. He'd say that she had been cut off from all or most human contact since she was very young. She didn't seem to understand the_ proper _way of adult behavior. Yet at the same time, she seemed as though she had grown up too fast as a child. Had this woman ever had a real childhood? Very complex this woman was, yet she was so simple. Even her appearance was average, but her eyes her unnerving and mysterious. Yet at the same time, he just couldn't bring himself to look away.

Her eyes. Simple. Average brown. Nothing special to the untrained eye. They held no special ability as Itachi's or leader's, no blood line limit as Kisame's, no genetic coloring like Hidan's or Kakuzu's, no traits that made them seductive like Deidara's and Konan's, and no deformity like his own. Her eyes were like the many he'd seen before, yet, they seemed to go deeper. The longer Zetsu stared into her depths the deeper he seemed to become entangled in them. They drew him in, and then pushed him back out again. They screamed out to the world for its attention, yet they desperately wanted to be alone and away from everything around them. They wanted to cry in sorrow, and yet they shined with unconcealed happiness. Her eyes. So warm, so sweet, so open, but so deep and so mysterious. He could not read them, yet they seemed to be drowning in emotions. He, Zetsu, the Akatsuki's spy, a ninja of many talents, and a misunderstood man, just didn't understand how this woman, ninja or not, had been surviving the way she had for so long.

Once again, a tug pulled Zetsu from his continuously mounting thoughts, but this time, he was being tugged in a specific direction. His eyes immediately focused on the young woman. She was smiling like a young child, pulling, well attempting to pull, him towards a little stand filled with stir-fry. Zetsu was hesitant at first. How strange it was to be pulled about by a young woman. A pretty one at that. To say they were receiving some stares wouldn't have been uncalled for, but it was minimal. Most of the people around them were too busy with their own business to notice. Some just didn't care. Besides, _she_ was the one doing all the pulling. So in their mind, he was relatively safe. He wasn't forcing her to do anything.

It wasn't long before they were both at the little stir-fry stand. She was smiling at the stand owner, a warm and tender smile full of life and Zetsu could see the stand owner visibly relax. Zetsu felt himself relax as well at the sight. She truly did look like an angel. She looked up at into his moist yellow orbs with soft brown eyes and slowly lifted his hand to her face, before she did something that would have surprised Zetsu completely had he not seen her slow deliberate movements. She placed his hand to her cheek and placed her hand on his, her eyes wide but steady with a slight glimmer of question as her eyebrows pulled together. Zetsu felt himself instantly tense. But it didn't take long for him to realize what she was implying, though her way of asking was very strange. She wanted to know if he liked stir-fry as well. If he wanted some.

"We shall **order for you** if you wish." Zetsu's two sides assured the young woman with a still emotionless tone and facial expression as he looked into her eyes, though she just raised her eyebrows happily and gave him a childish grin before shaking her head rapidly, effectively earning a smirk from him. "So. **What would you like? Just** point it out, **and we'll get it** for you." Zetsu told the young woman as she stared up at him with her excited brown eyes.

Kiki for one had not been expecting Zetsu to be paying for the great smelling food in which she had no idea what it was called. Honestly, she had been just about to hand him her little money pouch so that they could buy the strange looking food. She just, wasn't use to having someone else paying for what she ate. Perhaps, Kiki thought to herself, he was spoiling her so that she'd want to join the Akatsuki. To Kiki this was a pretty strange idea since he could probably just throw her over his shoulder and there'd be little she could do about it without killing or maiming him. Something she did not want to do, and would likely not even given that situation. Yet at the same time, it was not such a strange idea. If he won her over through bribing, then there wouldn't be a scene. Still, Kiki felt no indication that supported this idea. Perhaps she was just suspicious from her lack of knowledge in the category of dinning.

Truth be told, Kiki rarely ever ate in restaurants, or stands for that matter. She had always been too busy running away from everything around her. Be it the common people's mouths and ears, or the higher up's eyes and reach. She had always been on the run. Always. She had never been allowed to be so close to other people for too long, all thanks to her demon. Her dangerous and jealous demon, who killed everything around her for the sake of watching her suffer and bag him to stop, who threatened her with _what he could do _and _what he would do_ if she made any kind of attachment to anything, and who waited in the back of her mind for her to break beneath his words and come crashing down into his open arms.

Kiki was lost deep in thought, dwelling in the _**oh so sweet**_ privacy of her own mind, but by sheer trained instinct she continued to outwardly smile in her sweet angelic way and pointed out what she thought looked delicious to eat. It was weird though, how she seemed to smile at everything around her yet frown on everything about her. Kiki felt her eyes lower in bitter resentment towards herself as she walked silently beside Zetsu towards a table where they could wait for their order. Her finger tips were cold and her shoulders tensed in as waves of shame pounded down on her. Kiki just couldn't help but feel that she was being selfish and unfair towards Zetsu.

Why was she doing this? Why was she doing this to him? Allowing herself to become attached to this man, her first enemy, an Akatsuki and, from what she could sense, allowing him to become attached to her as well. An Akatsuki who she could never stay with. No. Even if she were captured by the Akatsuki, she would never stay with them. Why didn't she run away while he wasn't looking, while there were crowds of people she could blend into? She could not put them in danger. The Akatsuki had never wronged her, and yet she was being selfish by not pushing this man away. She just didn't want to, but she had to. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted to stay with this man and meet these other Akatsuki, but she knew she could not be so selfish as to do so. Did she want, no, did she need his attention so badly that she would be willing to put his life at risk. Never! She would win this game they were playing, and then she would run away to a place where they'd never find her. She would not allow herself to be captured. She simply, could not. But, how could, she tell Zetsu…that?

Zetsu looked to the young woman in front of him and watched intently as she stared out into the darkened night sky, her eyes glazed over in an unseeing mist that blinded her to all that was around her. She was deep in thought. Zetsu just had to wonder what it was that this woman thought about when she began to zone out. It was like she was going to cry. Yes. Even in the little time Zetsu had known this woman, he could sense her on the verge of tears whenever she began to let herself become emerged in her own thoughts. He did not even know her name, he realized. Was her past so bad, so horrible, that she couldn't even think back on it without being hurt? What could have happened to make her the way she was? Zetsu just didn't know.

Concern and curiosity. Kiki's eyes immediately snapped away from the stars above her and stared into Zetsu's searching ones. He was watching her with a seemingly impassive expression. Looking for signs of weaknesses most likely. He was a ninja though, Kiki assured herself as she continued to stare into his bright yellow eyes, and that was what ninjas did. Kiki felt her mouth involuntarily break out into a large toothy smile, taking Zetsu somewhat by surprise. She did not know why she had to sudden urge to smile at him with such an over exaggerated indication of happiness. Was she really so stressed?

She smelt something wonderful as she looked down at the food that was in front of her. When had that gotten there? She didn't know, but at the same time, she didn't care. It smelt great and she was starving. Actually, it had taken her some time to determine that she was really all but dead with hunger. No exaggeration there. Her powers allowed her to keep an outer appearance of being somewhat fed when she neglected to eat. Not that she wanted to not eat, she just sometimes forgot to. Being immortal could do that to you sometimes. Still, lack of eating was not new to her and for the most part, her body had grown accustom to going a few weeks at a time without food. So because of her body adapting to her lack of food intake, she literally had to go for MONTHS of not eating to actually be starving herself. She guessed her childhood had a part to play in that. She could starve to death a thousand times, and yet, she still wouldn't die.

Zetsu watched the young woman suddenly begin inhaling her food with a passion that made him raise an eyebrow. She was still polite as she ate, but she was all but shoving her food in her mouth, as if she had not eaten in weeks. Zetsu also noticed something that made his heart reach out to her, not much, but just enough to tell him that he was beginning to become attached to this woman. It was well controlled but it was still unmistakably there. She was shaking gently and her eyes were unconsciously glazed over in a thin layer of hot stinging liquid that shone brightly in the festival's bright surroundings. She was in pain. Not physical pain, but internal pain. Zetsu could feel it. She was not even aware of the fact that her pain was beginning to leak out in front of Zetsu either. She was too busy in her own thoughts to notice that Zetsu was staring at her in concern. Zetsu had to wonder, yet again, how had she been living the way she had for so long? Truth be told, Kiki could no longer deny the thing that was causing her the most pain of anything was that Zetsu was simply her first friend.

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**Author's Note**

**My heart reaches out to Kiki. Truly. She's always in so much pain, and yet she continues to take everything wrong into herself as if she is to blame. Kiki really needed a friend. So, what do you think about Kiki's and Zetsu's friendship **_**so far**_**? Please Review…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: That must suck for Kiki. She goes for weeks without eating and yet she doesn't even notice anymore. She must have had a very rough childhood. Boy isn't that an understatement. Oh my, did I say that out loud.**

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Eight: Light in the Shadow**

Pain. Internal and outer. Self inflicted or an injury from an enemy. Zetsu had seen much of this in his days as a shinobi. Endless seas of it in the bloody wars and the countless battles that ravished the lands and souls of all those living. Pain was simply part of the life of a shinobi, but this woman was in more pain then Zetsu would have thought possible. Even by the standards of a ninja. Far past. Somehow, when he looked into her eyes, Zetsu could relate this woman's pain to all the burdens of the world being forced upon her fragile shoulders. If only he knew how true his assessment was. She. A woman. Still a young child at heart, possibly even a child in mind, was suffering the life of violence and torment.

Zetsu let his bright yellow eyes soften unknowingly as he watched a single tear of warm liquid glide softly down the woman's face and land on the table soundlessly. Unseen by all others but him. Not even the young woman herself could feel it rolling down her face, shining in the gentle star light above. A single traitor that had given her very existence, possibly her whole past away in that single act of rebellion. Rebellion of being hidden away and forgotten day after day. She was far too busy devouring her third bowl of stir-fry to notice. Zetsu felt his lips pull into a painful line. This woman before him. This incredibly beautiful woman. Suffered the trials of the most brutal of lives. Yet. She was not even shinobi in title. The Healer of Mercy. How ironic that such a name be given to a woman, Zetsu felt his lips become even more stained, to whom the world, life itself, has apparently done no favors.

Kiki suddenly felt it. Waves of concern and anger gently rolling off the bi-colored man sitting in front of her. He was deep in thought again, but still watching her with thoughtful eyes. She felt a wave of regret wash over her. Had she eaten his food by accident? She felt a shameful blush spread across her lightly tanned cheeks. Why did she have to be born such a selfish person, she quietly sulked to herself in disgust. Sometimes she truly disliked herself. With her eyes down cast, she put down her chopsticks to the side of the bowl slowly, effectively catching Zetsu's attention. First she was putting his life and all the other Akatsuki's lives in danger and now she was eating his food like a selfish little baby who demanded more without taking others into consideration. She bit her lip, suddenly holding her bowl out to the man with her head bowed in apology.

Zetsu, for one, was completely and utterly stunned by this sudden change in behavior. He could only stare at the woman before him in puzzlement. She was bowing to him with her eyes downcast, an obvious gesture of apology, and he didn't even know what she suddenly felt obliged to seek forgiveness for. He felt a feeling of confusion ting at him as he noticed that the woman had a shameful expression painted across her face, hidden just out of sight. He could sense it though. Then, as if feeling this sudden change in Zetsu, the woman righted herself again, an equally confused look on her face. Such a confusing woman, Zetsu thought to himself. Then a thought hit Zetsu. A thought that made his shoulders tense involuntarily. Could this woman tell what he was feeling?

Zetsu looked the woman over with searching yellow orbs, taking in and remembering every detail of her recent responses towards his own internal emotional changes. Even if he had kept a straight face in place the whole time. Was it really possible that this woman felt what he felt? Impossible. Zetsu had never heard of anyone with a gift like that before, but then he had to reason with himself, nothing was truly impossible in the shinobi world. He felt his shoulders tense farther. What was this woman truly capable of? He knew much about her, yet nothing at all. He knew that she was capable of rapid recovery without the use of chakra or jutsus and that she can perform near flawless genjutsu without hand signs, even the incredible fact that she is immortal, but could she also be able to sense what others are feeling and then decipher it? It was so unreal. But it also made perfect sense.

Kiki looked to the man with bewilderment written all over her deep brown eyes. She did not know why his emotions were changing so rapidly. Sure he had two different sets going about at once, but the vibes she was getting from him wasn't lining up with her earlier selfishness. Was he not angry with her? But she had been so rude and inconsiderate. Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Why was he suddenly cautious and curious? Had she not eaten his food by accident? Did he just not care? All these thoughts made Kiki's mind numb and then spike back up as she tried to put two and two together. Unfortunately, his straight faced expression wasn't helping any. Frustration. Kiki felt so frustrated. It nearly made her want to vomit from the nausea of the sheer effort of trying to keep up with what he was feeling, dealing with the flooding emotions of the crowds around her, and trying to settle her own. Now she had a headache to top it off.

Zetsu looked at the woman with intent and examining eyes and knew that the only way he was going to get answers from this woman would be by asking her directly since he was unable to read her, and that is exactly what he did. "We have a question **for you, and we wish** for you to answer truthfully." Zetsu looked into Kiki's eyes for any signs of deceit and managed to keep an impassive face even as the young woman gave him a deep childish smile and nodded her head before raising her eyebrows into an expectant expression. "**Are you capable of** feeling other's emotions?" Zetsu was blunt about it for he was pretty sure that beating around the bush would get him nowhere with this young woman.

Zetsu nearly fell over in shock at the woman's reaction. Suddenly, and without warning, she had taken hold of his hand in a tight but tender embrace and brought the tips of his fingers up to her face. Her striking brown eyes were wide with what Zetsu could clearly see as happiness and something close to hope, but not quite, and her lips were set into a gorgeous smile. One which Zetsu had never seen. On anyone. It was pure and untainted by anything other than innocence. Her face was seemingly glowing in a radiance that alarmed Zetsu, but at the same time he noticed something in her eyes. It was not hope or happiness as he saw at the surface of her brown orbs, but fear. Fear for what, he did not know. Was it because he knew?

Kiki could feel it in her heart. Fear. A fear that seemed to be swallowing her up in its icy grasp. She feared that he knew. That he had found out about her power, but at the same time she was overcome with joy. An uncontained and wild hearted joy. A deep sense of bliss that for the first time. For the first time since she had been four. Someone had seen her. Seen through her. Seen that she was alive. How could she not feel truly happy, for the first time in many, many years? He knew that she felt the emotions of those around her. He was the first person to ever learn of her receiving state. Well. Something close to it anyway, but he still knew that she was picking up on what he was feeling and was reacting accordingly. Perhaps there would be less confusion between them now, Kiki thought to herself with a light smile.

"That is a very unique **and special** gift you have, **as is your healing** abilities." Zetsu began with his usual monotone demeanor, but he felt a sigh of defeat heave out of him tiredly as he watched the young woman smile childishly up at him before holding up two fingers and pointing towards herself with a triumphant grin. "**We see** you caught that." The woman just smiled sweetly and nodded before her attention seemed to suddenly become distracted.

Zetsu raised a slick green eyebrow. The woman was looking at his hand with such interest that he could feel a light tensing strain in his arm under her gaze. What was she looking for? Zetsu didn't understand why the woman was behaving so strangely so suddenly. When he thought about it though, nothing seemed normal about this woman other than her appearance. She was an odd one. Like she had no concept of what was expected by those around her. Then, she did something that nearly made his heart skip a beat. Slowly, like a young child learning something foreign, almost forbidden, she placed her hand in his own and laced her fingers with his. She never once looked up at him, only began to explore his hand as if it were a piece of art which she felt the need to remember every detail to. She traced the lines of his hands with her finger tips and his palm with her thumbs.

Her hands were so much smaller than his he noticed. Thin from fatigue and her nails were seemingly worn from lack of care over the years. Her hands were soft in his own though, while his were rough from his years of fighting. He may not fight much, but on occasion he fought nonetheless. It was simply part of life as a shinobi. Her fingers were long and delicate, and the skin, though pleasantly soft, was seemingly hardened with collapses slightly from her years as a wanderer. She had the hands of a loner. Yes. Zetsu could tell that this woman had been on her own for some time. It aggravated him to no end. That he knew nothing about her. Not as a ninja, but as a person. She was a mystery to him. He did not even know her name he realized. It was so frustrating that she was an open book, his gaze on her flicked as his yellow eyes traced her curious form examining his palm, but she was written in a language he did not understand.

Memories. Kiki felt her mind swimming in them. But not the unpleasant ones she had grown so accustom to. The ones in which her whole life seemed to be drowning in. These were different, and though she couldn't remember what the memories were about, they made her feel…safe. It puzzled her, made her crave more. It was like a sort of drug. Like the festival around her, she wanted more of it, because it made her forget about her pains, and made her forget that she was in all sense of the word, screwed. They were warm and comforting. Filled with things she had long forgotten. Had been trying to forget. So that she could survive the world around her. Live with the truth of her life. Live with her demon. As she let her hands roam over Zetsu's battle roughened hands, they brought up so many feelings. Feelings she'd only ever felt in others. Was it…love?

Love for whom. Kiki felt her heart constrict. So painfully tight. She could feel a numbness run through her. Who did she love? Zetsu. She let her eyes gaze up into the liquid yellow eyes of the man before her. He wore an impassive mask on his face, as he always seemed to while in thought, but she could feel clearly that he was confused and yet amused, but at the same time frustrated. Kiki knew she could be a very frustrating person. She was different. Undeniably so. She had accepted this long ago, but she still saw herself as a person, as she did everyone else. Just as human as the person next to them. Could she love this man because he was different from her, from the others around them? Humans were meant to be different. This is the way of life. Variety and diversity created the basis of life. Individuality.

Kiki felt her eyes brighten suddenly as the answer came to her. She loved him as her first friend she realized. Because, though he himself was different, he accepted her for also being different. She let a smile cross her face as she suddenly took hold of Zetsu's hand in between her own and brought it close to her heart. He had immediately snapped out of his trance like state and was now looking at her with thoughtful eyes as she continued to look up at him with soft eyes. Her sudden change in emotion startled him. Then it hit him. Zetsu felt a warm sensation strike him to the core. He realized what he was seeing in her eyes. Something so beautiful to him. As a living person. Yet so terrifying to him. As a ninja. A shinobi. As a rouge. Affection. Brimming in her eyes was affection. Untainted by fear or hatred. Without greed or envy. Not even the smallest glimmer of deceit was hidden within her eyes. Just pure innocent affection. In truth. It scared Zetsu, but at the same time, it drew him in even further.

Zetsu felt his body suddenly plunge into a bottomless cold and dark obis. A darkness that seemed to eat away at him slowly, so painfully slowly. He was reacting to her he realized. In ways he had long forgotten. In ways he had let no other. He was allowing himself to become attached to her, to allow her to touch him in such a way, to allow her to feel such things towards him. He was allowing her to come in. Into his own world, and she didn't even know it. Or did she? He couldn't read her. It was terrifying to him. More terrifying then the most powerful of ninja. She was a mystery to him and yet in these acts of her affections she was telling him everything. She was telling him so much and yet she had told him nothing. She, a young woman, showed him affection for simply accepting her as a fellow human. He knew this, but at the same time he did not know this. It was all assumption on his part, but she knew for a fact what he was feeling. If he was deceiving her. She would know. She was dangerous, because she could see past the barriers, see past the lies, she saw people for who they truly were.

A ting. Low and steady. The ting was going off in Zetsu's head, unheard by the young woman in front of him. Small, but the very basis of his life. Their leader was calling for him. For his report on this woman he had now come to respect as a person, fear as a shinobi, and yet dare he say feel affections for as a young woman. Zetsu felt a wave of relief wash over him, but also in the deepest reaches of his mind, an overpowering sense of dread. Their leader was powerful, but even so their leader could see this woman as a threat. What then? What would happen to this woman then? Would she be locked away and forgotten? Would she be accepted into the Akatsuki if the leader knew of her capabilities? No. The realization hit Zetsu. She would be too much of a danger. But then again. She could be accepted. Zetsu's mind was beginning to numb. Why did he even care about what happened to her?

There was a light tug on his sleeve, and when he looked down into the young woman's eyes, he knew immediately why. Because she was the first person to ever show him an ounce of affection. Because she had accepted him for being who he was. Because she had simply become…his first friend. The awareness startled him. Rocked his whole existence to the core of his being. For the first time in his life. He had someone in whom he trusted. And he didn't even understand why he trusted her so. Was it because she had trusted him first. Because she had never once lied to him. But he was a spy. He wasn't suppose to exist. Then, like a bolt of lightning. It came to him. Because to her, he did exist. He was there. There had been no hiding from her. It was because she was somehow above him, and yet only wished to be beside him. Because she had seen him for what shinobi always rejected. Human.

He knew he had to leave before the leader became suspicious, but now he just had to tell her that without hurting her for in truth, he didn't want to see her in anymore pain. "We are sorry, **but we have to leave."** The young woman looked up at him, hurt and confusion written within her deep brown eyes, and Zetsu felt his heart tighten painfully, but be knew it had to be done. "Leader-sama **has called us** back. For **our report **on you." The woman's eyes widened as her lips tightened into a line and Zetsu felt a cold chill run down his spine, but he knew that for her sake this had to be done. "No not threat**. We have not forgotten** our promise on the terms **of the game.**" Indeed he had not, but her eyes still remained pained and Zetsu didn't know why since he was not going to give the other Akatsuki her location. "**Are you not** pleased by your victory?" The question seemed so natural to Zetsu, but it seemed to somehow strike the woman down and Zetsu couldn't understand why.

Kiki felt her heart constrict. She was in pain, not physical, but internal. As she always was, but this was different. She was in pain because her friend was leaving her, and she would once again be alone in the world. Even if they did not talk much, and she didn't talk at all. She still considered him a friend. Was it simply because she did not know what the basics of a friendship relationship needed? Still, she saw him as her friend. What was the true definition of a friend anyway? Truly. Can friendship be classified by the words spoken? By the color of one's skin? Or something as simple as what one eats? Kiki did not believe so. She believed that their friendship was fabricated by the simple acknowledgment of the other's existence. Because they had accepted the existence of the other. Accepted each other as another living person. Perhaps that was friendship. She would probably never know though, such things were a mystery to her.

The sound of the ground splitting reached Kiki's ears and she immediately snapped out of her thoughts. He was leaving. She panicked. Oh how she panicked. He was leaving her, and she might never see him again. She couldn't even say good bye. Her breath lengthened. She wouldn't let this happen. He was her friend. She had to tell him good bye. Somehow she just had to. To show him that she truly cared, even if he did not feel the same, she had to tell him. Without thinking, almost out of instinct, Kiki launched herself at him. He had not been ready to react. He was shocked beyond belief. Shocked…did not even begin to describe the feeling. He was far beyond it, to where it felt like his whole body had been thrown into frigid waters. Yet he did not move. Couldn't react. Her arms were around him in a tight embrace and her face was buried deeply into his chest. She was hugging him. The notion of this unthinkable act stunned him temporarily senseless. She was, hugging him. Good bye.

He had not reacted and Kiki felt her heart begin to swell in pain. He was just standing there with his feet immerged in the ground, looking down at her with a surprised expression stained across his face. The most emotion he had probably ever shown to another living person. In fact, this was true. His whole body had stiffened at the contact. He still was not moving, nor was he pushing her away. She didn't know what to do, how to perceive this act. She herself didn't even know much on the significance of a hug, she had been too young to understand why hugs were considered signs of affections, but she had always associated them with good things. Perhaps…

Warmth. A feeling of indescribable warmth spread over her entire body as she felt two slender arms wrap around her timidly. Slowly and hesitantly. Seemingly unsure of what they themselves were doing. The arms applied pressure lightly, seemingly afraid that if they applied too much she would break, and when Kiki looked up she saw that Zetsu was looking down at her with soft eyes. Confusion was running rampant throughout his body, flooding every corner of his being, but she could feel it. Something even stronger than his confusion. He was returning her affections with his own. She could feel it pulsing off of him like steady ocean waves. He was showing her that he also cared. That he was also her friend. A light blush spread across her face as she rested her head back onto Zetsu's chest. Her first friend. She swore she would always remember him, and little did Kiki know that Zetsu had already made a sacred vow. A vow to never forget her and to always strive…for her happiness.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**So now Kiki and Zetsu are forever bonded together. Well, I think that Zetsu and Kiki make great friends. Possibly even more than that. We'll see what happens though. A story, like life, should be unpredictable. Please review…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Important Author's Note: *Twitch* Just a few days ago I learned that when I had tried updating about TWO MONTHS AGO something went wrong and it didn't show up. *Sigh* I hadn't been able to find this out sooner because I've had NO internet for the last two months. So I apologize for the evil wait you've all had to endure...**

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that last chapter. Sorry I haven't updated lately, but I've had a lot on my plate for the last three weeks. Kiki isn't a fighter, she isn't much of a ninja either, but she is an escape artist when she has to be.**

* * *

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Nine: The Escape Artist**

The early morning was deathly cold as Kiki silently ran through the grassy valleys, still sheeted heavily in a coat of crystal ice. The air was damp and crisp, causing her skin to sleek over with a thin layer of ice at the contact. The land in which she was traveling, the land of the Grass Village, was still blanketed in a thick layer of blinding white fog that seemed to glow an eerie white as the sun's rays struggled to break through the barrier. It was ghostly and seemingly lifeless to the untrained eye as Kiki bolted through the open fields of wild grains, never once looking back from which she came. Kiki had decided strongly against continuing her westward trek which in effect would have had her running through the open desert sands. She had many rational consequences of taking such a path in mind.

For one she knew that in terms of raw speed, the Akatsuki could easily catch her in a foot race through the open sand dunes. To also back up her first worry, was the fact that she wouldn't be able to face them in open or head-on combat. She could not deny that she was not a fighter. She was actually very weak. Her genjutsu was pretty much all she had to defend herself to be completely honest. The truth was her ninjutsus were not meant for heavy duty combat, but rather deflecting an opponent's attacks and stalling for time so that she could run away. They were light and did not require much physical strength to control. Nor did they really hurt their opponents much, unless they were hit in a tender or unguarded area. Her taijutsu was the worst though. Horrible was the word. Yes. Truly she stunk at taijutsu. Maybe only at genin level. That is, if she was at her best at the time. It truly was the very scorn of Kiki's abilities.

Another reason Kiki knew it wise to avoid the open areas of the desert dunes was because of the blonde haired Akatsuki member that was tracking her from the air. It still sort of bugged her that she didn't know his name. Remember it anyway. To back this up. She couldn't use her Ice-crystal dragon to escape his sight, or fend him off if he were at attempt an aerial attack, which he was sure to do. She was a very honest person and believed in keeping her promises no matter what. She especially wanted to keep this one, since she had made the promise to a friend. Her first friend. A small smile crossed her lips, its light graces seeming to set her face ablaze with a warm beauty. Her friend Zetsu. Sure he was weird, but so was she. They were weird together. Yes. They made a weird couple all right.

A ring. Kiki felt her heart give a leap. She recognized that sound. Clear as the chirping of a song bird in the early morning. It meant that the Akatsuki were close. Too close. Her lips tightened into a thin line. Where were they? She didn't know, but she had a feeling that they were coming from the left of her. They had probably ran out west towards the desert, but realized that she had changed her coarse at the last second. A small smile crossed her lips once again. If this was indeed true, then Zetsu had kept his promise as well. He had not told them of her change in direction and that was good enough for Kiki. The ringing came again, a tad bit closer this time. They were almost upon her and she was starting to feel the gentle and distant waves of their emotions sweeping over her like calm sea waves.

Annoyance, impatience, bloodlust, excitement, and anger. All these feelings seemed to descend upon her at once as a blurry shadow of hazy black flashed to her left swifter than her heart could miss a beat. They had found her, but then again, she wasn't so good at hiding to begin with. A cool rush of parting fog, the sound of a kunai rushing through the air. With her senses now heightened to their fullest, Kiki was able to evade it easily, dunking down to skim silently between the tall grasses as the kunai whooshed above her in near silence. A single kunai. A warning shot she realized, but she knew she could not be captured. Could not allow herself to be. To do so…would mean the death of the Akatsuki. She would not have their blood on her hands. A frown made its way across her lightly tanned face. Not again. Not again. Not again…

The stench of stale blood and scorching flesh, the sounds of people screaming in pain and anguish, the feeling of warm slithering streams of crimson blood running down her face and hands assaulted Kiki's senses in their sickening grasp. Her body began to shiver and shake, but she kept moving forward, she did not look back. She could not let herself be captured. The sounds of weapons being thrown at her suddenly pounded into her ears. Were the Akatsuki attacking? No. Her memories were flooding into her mercilessly. Angrished cries echoed in her head over and over as brilliant flashes of deep crimson reds and ghostly pale shadows stole her vision. Her memories of that night, after _it_ happened. Not again.

A scream rang out in her head. Was it her own? Whose was it? It sounded so familiar, but so distant. She couldn't remember who was screaming all those years ago. Was it her? Pain and suffering. Fear and anger. She was remembering_ it_. All of it. She did not want to remember, but she was. Every detail, every scream, and every face that had fallen before her. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes as waves of nausea swept through her with each gruesome flashback that racked her mind. Why? She could still see their fear shadowed across their faces. Why? See the light leave their eyes as blood ran through her fingers. Why? See them falling to their knees before her, begging to be spared. Why? She could see her hand soaked in blood reaching out to…NO! She would not cry. She could not cry. She had to concentrate. She could not be captured. She would not let that happen again. Never again. Never.

Kiki blinked the threatening tears from her eyes and glanced over to her side. A shadow was flickering in and out as the rolling waves of snow white fog thinned out and then thickened. From what Kiki could see the man was tall, freakishly huge actually. It intimidated Kiki a bit to think of such a large man attacking her. Then a single thought seemed to cross her mind. Why were the Akatsuki so HUGE!? She whipped her head to the right just in time to see two more shadows fading in and out of the white sheet of fog. They were trying to surround her. The thought hit Kiki like a boulder. They were trying to block off her escape route. The realization sent her into a frenzy of panic. She could not out run them. She could not defeat them. She could not escape them. They had caught her. It was over. Kiki mentally slapped herself. She would escape them. She had to. A light frown crossed her lips. There was only one way she was going to get out of this.

Quickly gesturing a few hand signs at a rapid pace Kiki used a jutsu she had picked up while exploring the ocean shores of Mist. She believed it was called the hidden mist jutsu. She wasn't completely sure though, she had actually just found an old scroll half decayed on the ocean shores with the pictures of the hands signs in it and had learned that way. Now with the mist jutsu in place the already overwhelmingly thick fog around her became even denser and the visibility became more disoriented. Stage one done, and now for the hard part. Kiki knew that this was a very dangerous jutsu she was about to perform, one that only she could accomplish. Not that the Akatsuki weren't as good as she was. Far from it in fact. In truth, they were far more powerful, but the reality of the matter was. To put it simply, this jutsu would kill her.

Concentrating intently on her chakra systems, feeling and memorizing every little muscle and organ, bone and skin cell she could, Kiki pushed all of her chakra into her limbs and body frame. She focused even harder on the wavering bulk of spiritual flow, causing the chakra to become more and more dense, hardening into the curves and movements of her muscles and figure. A burning began to bubble in her low stomach. She was almost ready. She was almost there, just a few more seconds. Now! Suddenly, a burst of rapidly moving chakra detached itself from Kiki's body and charged on ahead through the dense fog. It was an invisible force unseen to the naked eye, but even as Kiki began to fall limp and lifeless into the tall grasses, not an ounce of chakra to be found within her, the mass of chakra continued on. Never stopping.

Fog lightly spread as the moving mass hurled its way through the thick blanket of white, chakra seeming to radiant off of it like light from the sun. It was no mere blur of swarming chakra mass though. It moved and flowed as if still within Kiki's body, seeming to pump power into nonexistent muscles and bones, shaping into the very semblance of the woman. It seemed to be running even though it could not be seen, the chakra acted in the way of muscles forcing the bones to work, to push it forward. It was acting as a person would, continuously repeating the actions Kiki had done while moving through the mist. Yes. It was a near flawless copy of what a nonexistent Kiki would be like. Unfortunately, like all chakra sources, it would only last for so long. Until it, like the mist around it would disappear. Gone forever from the shifts of time without a whisper or a sound, as if, it had never existed.

Kiki's body lay among the tall grasses, not an ounce of life or chakra could be felt within her as her body began to cool. She was dead. No. Not quite. She never really died. More like she was in a deep dreamless sleep that left her cold and defenseless from the dangers around her. Her plan had worked though, perfectly so. Two other Akatsuki, who had been trailing behind at a distance should she try to make a sudden U-turn, passed right by her lifeless form. They were nothing more than passing blurs of grayish-black in the mist of white, unable to sense anything other than her chakra mass still moving north towards the outer reaches of the grass lands. She had won this gamble. Had she?

* * *

Itachi could feel the woman's chakra signature continuing her trek north at a steady pace, even though the mist and fog around him and his comrades made visibility near zero he knew where she was. Exactly. He was to the right of her with Kisame by his side running alongside her, while Hidan was to the left and quickly positioning himself to cut her off from the front. Deidara was trailing Itachi and Kisame from behind with Kakuzu keeping a wider range behind Hidan, less she try to pull a fast one on them. Deidara had wisely chose not to use his clay bird for this haunt, because the grass ninja would easily be able to spot the group of rouges since they were so close to the Hidden Grass village. She was cornered at all sides. They were near the outer boarders of the grass lands, and he knew for a fact that they had to end this now. Didn't she see that it was pointless? The thought made him frown in slight disappointment. Perhaps this woman was dumber then he had first thought, much duller. Or maybe she was just the stubborn type. Neither really sat well with him.

Hidan readied his scythe for the attack, gripping onto the handle and forcing a large amount of chakra into his feet to make him go faster, easily allowing him to pull ahead of his target. It did not take a genius to know that this chase had to end quickly before they ran straight into the Hidden Grass village. That was not very appealing in the least. Well. To the other Akatsuki anyway. Hidan had actually had been entertaining the idea of letting the woman slip right pass him so that they _could_ enter the Grass village. Not that he had friends there. Honestly, he wanted to kill every single person there in the name of his God, and being attacked by the ninja in the village would give him that opportunity. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he did not feel like making a fool of himself again. His eye brow twitched at the reminder. That bitch!

He was now ahead of her chakra signature by several yards, maybe thirty or so. Then he launched his attack. His movements were faster than the blink of an eye, but still somewhat slow compared to the rest of the Akatsuki's usually lightning fast strikes. He had flipped around into a complete U-turn to face his target, drew his scythe from his back and took an attack position, charged through the blinding mist towards the chakra signature, brought his scythe up to attack, and…ended up with his face planted firmly in the ground and a mouth full of grass. Ironically, the moment he _hit_ his _target_ the mist cleared near instantly as the other Akatsuki came to a stop around him. He was humiliated. No. He had already been through that. He was disgraced. It was not every century you got to watch one of the infamous zombie twins grazing on grass on his hands and knees. Yep. That bitch was so going to die.

A strained snicker. Hidan snapped his intently livid eyes up and instantly spit out the grains that were in his mouth. He felt his lips pull back into a blood thirsty snarl when he found Deidara literally twitching bodily from his incredible effort to not burst up laughing. Not that he didn't want to laugh out right at Hidan's misery and shame, actually, he would have given up one of his arms to be able to, but alas, the other Akatsuki would have taken off his head if his big mouth got them caught. They were very close to the Grass village after all, and grass ninja could have been stalking about the area. Not to say he wasn't allowed to mock the religious bastered about it. Oh, how he was loving this. Every waking moment of it in fact. Despite his slight annoyance of being out foxed by the young woman, he had to admit to himself that he was very entertained by how easily this woman seemed to humiliate one of the all so high and mighty Zombie twins without really lifting a finger against him. Damn! If he didn't respect the woman before, she most defiantly had his admiration now.

Being able to watch Hidan's face and ears turn bright cherry red in anger and embarrassment, blades of dark green grass still stuck in his teeth and plastered to his ivory white skin in sticky clumps. A large red welt beginning to protrude from where Hidan had face planted into the ground. What a sight it was, absolutely glorious in the shark ninja's opinion. Truly that woman had just made Kisame's day. He was actually starting to lose his concentration he was trying so hard not to laugh at the religious man's ridiculously barbaric appearance. Hidan wasn't helping either. The urge to laugh was only becoming worst as Kisame watched Hidan try to sweep the grass bits and chucks from his clothes and face with his hands, failing miserably as the stubborn clumps merely smeared into thin streaks of bright green grass stains. Oh that woman was by far the most wonderful thing he had every laid eyes on.

Unlike his partner Kisame and the other Akatsuki including Kakuzu, Itachi did not bother to spare Hidan's shameful appearance a second glance. To him it was truly despicable. Not worth his time. Rather he was crouching on the ground among the tall grasses intently focusing his senses on the twitching masses of chakra that were littered throughout the grass. His eyes slimmed in displeasure as he activated his sharingan, scanning the chakra mass squirming miserably at his feet. It was quite a feat of immeasurable talent he concluded with a frown, as he felt the muscle imitating chakra masses still moving in their steady and continuous patterns. So the woman had talent with chakra. Incredible talent but, his eyes deactivated the sharingan. She was in no way a fighter. Chakra control for running away was nothing like chakra control for fighting off an enemy. But still, Itachi came to a slow stand and turned gracefully to face the group of snickering Akatsuki members, this woman was going to be even more of a challenge to outwit and capture than he had originally thought. She was an escape artist.

"Deidara, Kakuzu, why did you let the woman pass you. Surely with your talents…" Itachi was mostly directing his words towards Kakuzu and Deidara could feel his eyebrow twitch ever so slightly at the thought of being so belittled by the damn Uchiha. "…that you would easily been able to sense her even in the mist. What happened?" The Uchiha prodigy finished in his constantly present monotone tone with the all mighty deadpan straight-faced expression spread perfectly over his features in a flawless mask.

Kakuzu merely gave Itachi slightly annoyed stare before he began to speak in a tone that was just as empty and cold as the Uchiha brat's, though it was still deep and intimidating as it rumbled through the clearing fog. "That's the problem. There was no chakra signature anywhere near us other than the one we were chasing." Kakuzu heightened his senses and frowned when he felt the twitching movements of the chakra masses in the grass beside the Uchiha's feet. "Apparently…" Kakuzu fixed the Uchiha brat with a light glare. "…the woman is an expert in chakra control."

Hidan wasn't paying much attention to what the other Akatsuki were saying. He was much too preoccupied sulking bitterly to himself and glaring invisible daggers at the smirking shark man. Who the hell did that woman think she was anyway? Hidan turned away from Kisame knowing full well that if he continued to watch the freak of a bastered he'd probably go completely nuts and try killing the blue skinned man. The idea of tearing the blue freak's heart out of his chest with his bare hands was every appealing, unfortunately for Hidan, the consequences for the action was not. Besides, the shark man could probably rip his head right off his very shoulders before he could get his ritual going anyway. Oh by Jashin how he hated that woman. She was by far, the most evil thing he had ever come across. Don't get him wrong, he loves anything that is evil and painful, but this woman was not really either of those. She was Hidan's definition of evil. To top it off, he still didn't know anything about her. Her origin. Her age. Hell, not even her name. Damn her!

Silence. Tense and uncomfortable. It settled heavily on the group of rouges as the full urgency of their situation hit them full on it the face as the sun broke through the once impenetrable fog. They were in the heart of the Grass village territory, no more then maybe forty miles from the main village, out in the open where they could easily be spotted, and to top it all off had an elusive but unusually weak target that was stomping about the area practically begging to be captured by Grass village ninjas. No words were spoken. None were needed. The five shinobi suddenly made a mad dash back in the direction they had come from, their goal absolute in their minds. They had to capture their target at all costs before someone else beat them to it. They kept low to the ground, skimming silently through the long grasses. They could not afford to be seen. To be seen would mean a fight, and a fight meant that their target would slip farther and farther away from their grasp. They all knew perfectly well that the longer they spent attempting to capture this woman the more attention would be drawn to them, and the last thing they wanted, was competition.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Kiki's an escape artist, but I wonder how long she can keep evading the Akatsuki's pursuit. So what do you think about how the Akatsuki view her? Please review…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**Author's Note: Yay! Tenth chapter and du, du, du, dun, I have wireless internet now. I'm so happy. This means that I may be able to update on a more regular basis…given I don't become distracted from my typing by it. Anyway, it's said that the most effective trap is that spun by the heart. Apparently, Zetsu is no exception to this saying. Enjoy…**

* * *

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Ten: The Heart's Trap**

From the shallow depths of the many layers of fertile soils below the earth, Zetsu watched as the young woman fled blindly over the Grass village's boarders and into the swampy reaches of the Rain village's. They had observed her perform the mist jutsu, seen her release her chakra before she fell limp and cold to the ground, and then watched on with awe as she rose from the dead once more. They had done this all in silence, never once interfering. Deep in their hearts though, they had wanted to go to her. They had wanted to protect her as the other Akatsuki began to close in around her. They had felt their heart beating in their chest harder and faster than they had ever remembered it doing before. They had wanted to save her from the others, to comfort her when they saw the shine of warm liquid touch her beautiful brown orbs. But how could this be? Could it be that…

"Are we fools?" Lowers head internally.

"…**Perhaps**." Impassive blink.

"Do you think Leader-sama was suspicious of us?" Inwardly pulls eyebrows together.

"**No…**"

"……"Inner sigh of relief.

"**From now on we must be more cautious.**"

"Yes. If Leader had discovered we…"

"**Don't even think about it, to do so will mark our deaths.**" An inward warning glare.

"What do you mean deaths? We didn't lie to him. We told him of the woman's abilities and he accepted it. He'll allow her into the Akatsuki."

"**No. We didn't lie to him…we did something much more fatal." **Inward frown.

"But…"

"**Don't deny it. You felt it too just as much as me.** **There was more to that encounter than the mere physical contact we've made with the woman.**"

"……" Inwardly tightening lips into a thin line.

"**We knew what that woman was to us, to Leader-sama. We knew full well and we…**"

"We let her go."

"…**yes.**" Inwardly tensing.

"You feel it too. We can both feel it."

"**Yes. We can.**"

"We love her, don't we?" Lowing eyes.

"……**yes. We do."**

"Friendship is a deadly mistress isn't it?"

"**Indeed.**"

"We are becoming insubordinate towards Leader-sama. Are we not?" Raises eyebrows in concern inwardly.

"**Not necessarily."**

"Do explain." Tilts head in confusion.

"**We have broken the key rule of a spy."**

"Allowing ourselves to be seen by the woman?"

"**No. Have you not also questioned where our loyalties now lie?"** Glaring inwardly.

"I see. So we are indecisive."

"**Yes." **An inner nod of the head.

"Than…who will we follow to the end? Leader-sama…or the girl?"

"……"

"……"

"**Only time will tell whether we will follow our instinct…"**

"…or our heart."

The seemingly thundering vibrations of the young woman unwarily running over the location where they were rooted deep within the earth snapped Zetsu from his inner thoughts. Almost instantly, he looked up towards the woman that had become center of his and the Akatsuki's attention. She seemed to have sensed him near her, but from the look on her face, he could tell she was second guessing her own abilities. A soft rare smile crossed his lips. He would have laughed at her childish expression of uncertainty, had he not been 'spying' on her. Quickly and soundlessly, Zetsu buried himself deeper underground until he noticed that the woman apparently couldn't sense him anymore and continued her trek towards the Rain Village. Zetsu frowned in discomfort as he watched her disappear into the tree line of Rain. What were they going to do?

* * *

Rain village. Incredibly hot, unbearably humid, and unbelievably wet. Kiki wiped the sickly warm sweat from her brow and let a small frown of displeasure cross her dry lips. She did not like the heat. Not one bit. And her situation with the pursuing Akatsuki wasn't making her think any better of it either. It was making her feel ill and she could feel a massive headache starting to brew. Several times she had pushed down most of the sickness with her healing powers, but though she would not become seriously ill or die of heat stroke thanks to her abilities of self healing, this did nothing to stop the heat. So even when she managed to get rid of her headache or stop herself from puking, it just came right back after about three or so minutes. So in the end she just decided to let her body's discomfort be. She couldn't simply stop moving because of a little distress. She had to get as far away from the Akatsuki as possible while she was still conscious and able to move. She could already feel a heat stroke starting to form. On top of that, the food she had eaten with her friend Zetsu had finally caused her digestive system to start regenerating and working properly again. Could she never catch a break? Perhaps not.

Kiki's body is quite unique for a variety of extraordinary reasons. One, is that any part of her body, even whole organ based systems, that she is not using will simply die off and disintegrate until she needs it to function properly again. In any normal person, this would more than likely kill them, but Kiki is no normal person. In fact, this was not new to Kiki. Sometimes being immortal had its advantages. Kiki suddenly grimaced and clutched at her lower gut painfully. And sometimes it was a curse. It had been about two months since she had last had any bowel movements and know she was beginning to feel the internal cramps associated with the reconstruction of a vast majority of her major organs. Oh man did it hurt too. Kiki suddenly felt faint. She could mend broken bones, cure sicknesses, close flesh wounds, and even fix DNA or chemical imbalances or deformities in the body without a single once of pain or effort, but regenerating lost limps and organs was a whole other category all together.

Unlike flesh wounds and broken bones, regenerating the tissue is excruciatingly painful on occasion, depending on the severity of the damage. It is also taxing on her body or on the body of the person she is healing. Why? That answer was not as complicated as many would think. It is because of the simple fact that she has nothing to work with to begin with. So in other words, she has to literally grow nonexistent flesh to replace the missing tissue back into place _correctly_. This form of healing takes much more effort and difficulty then fixing the mere cuts and scrapes, which already contains flesh matter presented to her to work with. Just slightly malformed or damaged most of the time. Luckily, skin was not hard to fix either, even if it is the largest organ _on_ and _in _the body.

Sicknesses caused by illness or poison were quite easy for her to heal as well. Perhaps even easier then closing up flesh wounds. It was simply a matter of her locating the main source of the illness, usually a virus of some sort, and then starting from that point use her unique abilities to condense the illness into a workable liquid. From there she would 'drain' the fluids from the person's body. Should she not have the strength or time to complete this task of 'drainage' herself though, the contaminants will eject itself over time by either urination or vomiting. Depending on the person's state of health or the amount of contaminates within them. Nonlethal poisons or least dangerous sicknesses like a cold are released through urination, while deadly poisons or potentially fatal illnesses are usually spewed out right away. These ways of drainage come about not by her powers, but by the actions of the person's body trying to protect itself from the vile substance.

Kiki looked up to the brightened sky with a slightly pained expression. The pain in her lower gut and the intensity of the heat were becoming more then she could bear. Sweat was running down the sides of her face and she could feel cold chills running down the length of her spine. Oh how she wanted to stop and just let herself fall into a dreamless slumber in the cooling shade of the trees surrounding her, but she knew full well that if she gave into her selfish wants right then, that the Akatsuki _could_ catch up. A frown of distress crossed her quickly cracking dry lips and her eyes droop into a half lidded stare. A deep drowsiness began to envelope her mind into a hazy of static fuzz and splurging splashed of clashing colors. Slowly her eyes began to close and her frantic speed began to slow to a drunken jog. She felt herself hit the ground. She felt the earth beneath her fallen form as she tried to open her eyes, but as she tried to lift her head, darkness spread throughout her thoughts. Within seconds, she was unconscious. But strangely, as she was slipping into an ever darkening obsess she thought, she could have sworn, she felt slim strong arms lift from the ground. Perhaps it was the Akatsuki. She didn't know, but it warmth felt so familiar.

An eternal darkness invaded Kiki's dream, but the warmth was still there. She was locked deeply in a void of complete nothingness, but she could still feel it's sweet touch. So foreign, yet so familiar. Comforting, but alarming. The arms under her, holding her up. Strong and steady. She could feel them, but couldn't see, couldn't move, couldn't hear. Only feel the working of toned muscles under her limp form. It was…addictive. Though she did not know who it was who was carrying her, she craved the touch. The warmth of the person carrying her, the feel of its own body heat seeping into her skin. She never wanted the warmth to stop. She wanted the comfort, the security. All the things she had been denied as a child, in her most crucial of times. She wanted to be held. To feel the touch of another. She craved it to the point of near insanity. After all, doesn't ever child yean for the contact of others?

Yes. As a child, Kiki had never had the sweet touches and warmth of others. Her life had been cold from a young age, and no one would pay a lone child any heed. Alone and silent, not even a settle beauty to catch the glances of those soulless shadows passing by her. Only looking up to them with a miserable innocence silently asking why the world around her seemed so wrong and heartless. That something was missing. It was, not their problem after all. So why bother with a voiceless child. Even if her pain was ignored, she could, not scream at their silence. She could, not accuse them for their impassiveness towards her suffering. She simply, did not exist in their eyes. Even in the dead of winter, she was not given an ounce mercy from the coldness around her. So she would curl into a huddled ball against the side of a tree and wait for the harsh winter to pass. Only the bittersweet words of her demon keeping her in touch with the reality of her empty world. She often wished for death in those days.

Over time though, when she was about 14 years of age, she learned to use the bitter cold of winter to her advantage. When the temperature around her became cold, she began to feel warmer inside. Because that was the only sense of warmth she had known for ten years. Other then…the blood of the people her demon had killed. When her frozen fingers would touch her frost bitten skin, she could feel the gentle warmth of her little remaining body heat begin to rise to the surface to her frigid skin. It was…among the most wonderful sensation's Kiki had ever felt. Exquisite. And along with this, because of the lack of hollowness in her body, her demon would often be forced to the deepest parts of her mind. Because in the end, and only because the warmth within her heart seared his unskinned form, it was he who most feared the warmth from within Kiki most. Though his touch chilled her with its icy grasp, a touch from her heated skin against his exposed essence scorched him with the fiery of a hundred suns. Unless he was within her dreams, where he could take stable form.

Slowly, and though Kiki knew she was still dreaming, bright colors began to appear before her. Though the darkness around her began to glow in a hazy dew of light, she could no longer feel the touch of the one carrying her. In the distance she could see pink shapes shining against the sun light. They fell softly about a young girl, their round edges tenderly brushing along her tanned skin. Sakura petals. Thousands of them falling from the vast forest surrounding the girl. All in bloom. Kiki could only watch as the girl held her hands up to the brightened sky, twirling among the falling blossoms with a gentle sway. A smile dancing across the girl's face. So young and full of innocence. Kiki knew the girl was her. It was her. When she was younger. A memory from long ago, but she could only watch the scene before her unable to wake from her dream. The young girl began to laugh, chasing after the fallen petals and white butterflies that flew among the silk blanket of pink. The girl was happy. Her joy was so obvious upon her face. Kiki felt a smile cross her face as well. At least she could dream…for now.

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'Oh Kiki…Kiki. My love…my love. I want to see you…to see you.' The words echoed through the realm of despair, their deepness shaking the steady flow of timeless black waters to which their master lay upon.

Ghostly shadows ripped at the streaking skies above. A vast sea of icy black tar ravaged the land below. Silence cloaked the lifeless land in its eerie grasp. The world was in a vast void of nothingness. Terrifying would be the word many would use to describe it, unnerving for others.

It embodied the very essence of emptiness and hopelessness. Somewhere one could not escape, where the very fabric of existence seemed to be pulled from your very soul. The demons closing in on you, their eyes trained with their deadly desires. But they were not to be seen through the gloom of black ink, only the feeling of their icy or heated touches bruising the skin in their powerful grips could be felt. The pale white streaks crossed the skies in milky ribbons before they faded out into the overwhelming dark around them. Light would not penetrate though to the world of shadows.

"Kiki…Kiki." The voice echoed again, the voice low and deep, full of sorrow and hatred. "I need you…need you. Your light…your light."

Faceless and motionless. Only the shine of his moving lips indicated that he indeed lived, but there was no warmth. Only cold indifference. Shadow cloaked the lone figure, floating limply above the unseen waves of the tar sea, ripples of white spreading out around him in slow steady folds. A sigh escaped his lips as he once more called out to the light. His light. Kiki. His body arched in the still waters, his head thrown back in seeming ecstasy, eyes never once opening. His mind raced with thoughts of her. Her smile. Her eyes. Her warmth. Her sorrows. Her Pain. Everything that was Kiki. He kept his eye shut, so that he could only see her face. It drove him to the brink of sinful rapture as visions of her tears filled his mind. His body arched even higher into the air. The chills of lust and obsession running down his spine, tensing him. He needed to release it. He could feel her touch when he lifted his body from the frigid waters beneath him, the sudden flood of warmth prickling at his skin. Warmth he imagined was hers.

"Kiki…Kiki." His low echoing cry swept throughout the barren land, ripples of blinding light bouncing off of unseen objects within the black waters.

"My, my, my Sean. My dear little brother…" The voice penetrated through the darkness in its low dark tone, but the motionless figure did not react to it, merely let his raised back fall back into the waters beneath him. "…such longing." It chuckled within the darkness.

The water rippled with urgency as the faceless figure appeared above it, upon one of the unseen platforms that litter the vast ocean. Great wings spread from behind the new arrival, but he did not take flight. The shadows, as with the first motionless figure, had completely shrouded his image in a blanket of shadow. From within the shadows, one could easily had mistaken him for the embodiment of an angel. That was…until they heard his voice. Cruel and malicious. Raw with bloodlust and anger. Drowning in the temptation of sin. His eyes a crystal blue haze against his darkened form. His eyes seemed to pierce through the flesh like a dagger, ravishing the soul with its cold indifference.

"I seems the Lord of Sin has finally found a suitable mate." The shining motion of a smirk could be seen stretching across the figures face.

For the first time, the motionless figure, Sean, opened his eyes to look at the other. The features of his face seemingly unmoved by the stillness of the light upon it. His eyes were dark, blacker than the darkest night and the deepest cave. A deep cavern of hollow sins and purged of all light. Deeper than the abyss and colder then the farthest reaches of the universe, untouched by the sun. Cold, cruel, all words irrelevant to the very essence of what they were. And yet, they could not be called evil either, but they would never hold the light of righteousness in them. They were intense and heart stopping, but left a cold fear embedded deeply into the hearts of even the bravest of souls. But it was not death that stopped the heart beat. It was not fear that froze the blood in one's veins. It was not evil that drove the purest into temptation. The other, had to look away from those eyes. For he knew what they held.

"My dear Kiki." The echoing had subsided, but Sean's voice was still dark and cold. "Yes. She is the one who will bare my child into the world. Of the Heavens and Hells that make up the fabric of existence, our child shall bring forth the wrath and chaos of humanity in all its spite." His face suddenly turned into that of bliss. "She is perfect in every way. She alone holds the key to my salvation."

"What if she refuses you?" The angelic like figure asked down at his still motionless brother, his great wings spreading in his irritation. "It is obvious to me that she intends to fight you with all the power she processes. You know the demon laws." His voice was now dripping with anger.

Sean looked up to his brother with once again emotionless eyes and his angelic brother was forced to look away from them. "I will hold her to her promise." He let a cold smile cross his face as he said this, white ripples of water spreading out in earnest.

Sean's body suddenly began to stir, and his brother tensed at the sensation of overwhelming power radiating off of him. The gentle sounds of shifting water flooding the vast stillness with an almost calming tune. Deadly. Shadow still covered him in its grasp as he stood upon the water's surface, but the light bouncing and dancing on the water dripping down his body had taken a turn into its sinister truth. Crimson. The liquid he had been floating within was not water…but blood. The crimson fluids licked at the shadowed figure, soaking into his skin and hair, seeming to be clinging to him in desperation. Which may have very well been the case, given, that the blood was that of the damned. Perhaps it was comforting to the lost and weary souls to have a stable body to cling to after countless years of floating aimlessly throughout the vastness of despair.

"Besides…" Sean walked up to his older brother and placed a dead frozen hand on his shoulder, bringing his lips so sinisterly close to his ear causing the angelic one to tense and his muscles to lock. "…that is one of the demon laws. Is it not?"

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**Author's Note**

**Oh my. Looks like Kiki's got a lot going for her…but at the same time…that maybe a bad thing. Please review…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Author s Note: Hello, chapter 11 is up and I'm doing my little happy dance. ^.^ Sorry I don't update every other day or something like that, but I prefer quality to quantity. Also, I'd like to thank all those who have been reviewing regularly and have expressed what they think about my story. You are all the reason I still write on it and deal with the hassles of...WORKING *Shivers*...long hours on developing the characters and plot line of the story. Kiki is very innocent, but sometimes even the most innocent of creatures can strike fear within the hearts of others. Enjoy...****  
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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter Eleven: Fear the Innocent**

Zetsu let a heavy sigh escape his dry lips, a misty fog of his warm breath spreading out before him like a pale cloud. It was frigid out, but the cold felt smoothing to his sensitive skin. He was not use to this. What had he done? What had they done? The morning's crisp air kissed at his face, sending shivers of numb pleasure down his spine. Why had they done it? Why? He had saved this woman from being captured...from the very organization he was to serve. The feeling of thin fingers and cool fabric scratched weakly at his arm, grasping weakly at him. He gazed down at the small huddled bundle next to him and let a smile grace his lips. His Akatsuki cloak was wrapped around the small bundle, swamping it with its considerable size. This woman. His eyes softened when his Akatsuki cloak slid down her face a bit as she meagerly tried to snuggle herself more firmly into his warm side. He himself had removed his protective leafage so that the woman could more comfortably use him as a pillow. There was a light blush tinted across her cheeks and a thin line of drool running down the side of her face. It was simply, Zetsu struggled to find the right word to describe what he thought. Childish and weak one half said, adorable and innocent said the other. Both were true. Light snoring made its way to his ears. He chuckled softly. Everything she did seemed to intrigue him.

He, Zetsu, as a ninja, feared this woman. He feared her for her extraordinary powers. He feared her for what she did to him, for what she had awaken deep within him. He feared her for her innocence. Because in the end. Innocence would be the death of all. Innocence. Even the word left a sweet taste on the tongue. The way ones lips moved to pronounce it. The feeling of its exquisite sounds leaving the mouth. The light ting of pleasure its final sounds make on the tongue. Yes. Innocence was a very beautiful thing. But such a thing. Something so beautiful. Should not survive in this world. Could not live in this world forever. At birth, one is innocent yes. Without the burdens of the world on their shoulders and the troubles of life in their stead, they are naive and tolerant. Able to see the good in all, and sometimes the bad. They are pure, or as pure as their own experiences will allow them to be. This woman though. Zetsu let her eyes soften even farther, unwittingly to the liking of a near loving gaze. She was that innocence. His hand reached out to her, slowly, tenderly. That innocence he had not seen in so many years. His fingers glid gently against a lock of her disraveled hair, feeling the softness and morning dew against his finger tips. Not since he himself had been a child. Yet he didn't even remember it.

He smiled when she pushed her head into his hand, trying to feel his warmth. Much like a kitten seeking affection. This woman. She was harmless to him. Weak against his physical power and so easily pleased by the smallest of tokens. Willing to give him her friendship for the price of nothing. Something he had never truly seen before. Even the most generous of people, the most noble, expect a thank you or a favor in return for their kindness. She was too giving. Never really expecting anything in return. She was so beautiful. It, Zetsu felt his heart clutch painfully, was almost painful to watch. To know. That she...someone who was so innocent, and so pure...was not meant to be here. Not meant to survive in this world. The world that man had created. That life had created. That she, seemingly so perfect, so humbled, so true, and so giving if not for her immortality. He let his hand cup her cheek, icy cold from the morning's early chill. Would not be here. How many times she must have died, he wondered to himself in painful silence. Rubbing his thumb against her cheek. How many times she had probably wished for death, he remembered the pain he had seen within her eyes. How many times she had been wronged, and yet, she was still so kind. It vexed him.

The girl tightened her hold on his cloak in her grasp, hugging it firmly against herself. Cuddling against his arm. She was sleeping. Unaware and at peace. She shivered slightly when Zetsu removed his hand from her cheek, and let a silent whimper set on her lips. Zetsu shifted a bit so that his back was more firmly pressed against the tree behind him. He lifted his arm so that he could move. As he moved though, the woman all but forced herself flushed against his unprotected side. Silently demanding his warmth. He stiffened slightly in reaction tp the uncommon contact, but quickly recovered from the shock. He tilted his head at her, to get a better look at her face. She was pressing her cheek into his side, while she was prying her head under his arm. If it had been anyone else. Anyone. Zetsu would have killed them instantly. But he. Loved this woman. So much. So, so much. He himself did not know the extent of his love for her, but he knew it was there. This love that he felt for her. Zetsu smiled gently and then maneuvered the woman so that her head was resting on his bare chest and she could be free to move about as she willed. Was the first kind of love he had experienced. He carefully wrapped an arm around her to give her the warmth she had been seeking.

Everything about this woman fascinated and drew Zetsu in. Like a moth to the flame. Yes. Zetsu knew this was perhaps a very appropriate description of what they were. He, the moth. Silent and forever seeking the light. The truth. And this woman. The fire. Warm and the giver of so much. The light in the dark. Yet. In the wrong hands, used for untold devastations upon the lands and the life that reside on it. This being known. As he draws ever closer to the flames. Their bright colors and welcoming warmth calling to him with their promise of sweet comfort. He will be drawing closer to his own death. His wings will burn and his eyes will be scorched shut. Then he will fall. Down into the very flames he had so willingly relished in the warmth of. He will burn. Because in the end. Her innocence, that flame that protects her from the world around her and yet lights it all before her very eyes, will be the death to all those who are foolish enough to touch it. To revile in it. Such innocence. Zetsu let his arm limply hang over her sleeping form, letting his eyes watch the rising sun over the vast forest. Would be the death of the Akatsuki. Not just as shinobi, but as an organization.

Most would say that such purity is a blessing, but in the end it is a curse. Even to those who reach out to it. Because innocence is a killer. An unwitting killer, but a killer none the less. In so many ways. For she, sweet and kind soul, will reach out to those in the dark. Wanting to comfort them with her warmth and her light. But she will burn them in the end. Despite her good intentions. She will reveal their hidden weaknesses to those still hidden away within the darkness, create new ones within them that the darkness in which they lived had perched them of. She will unmask their trials, their troubles that had long been thrown out into the shadows. She may...she will not understand that to survive in such a world. Lies must be told. Secrets must be kept. She will not understand that, people must die for others to live. That life is not kind to those who give and give and never take anything back in return. She will not take what she needs. She will not kill who she needs to. She will not lie in the face of their enemy. She will become the very thing, that will bring the Akatsuki to it's knees. Yet. Even if they love her. Zetsu is still loyal to their leader.

Why can't he...why can't he tell their leader? Tell their leader that this woman is too innocent to be in the Akatsuki. Tell their leader that she will be the downfall of the Akatsuki. He knows why, and it pains him deeply to think of it. It is because their leader would be rid of her. Lock her up in the deepest of caves and then forever forget about the girl who almost destroyed everything he had worked so hard to obtain. All of his goals. For, even though their leader is great, he will come to fear this woman for her innocence. As he himself does. This has also brought up another issue for Zetsu's stressed thoughts. Won't their leader understand these risks once he meets the woman first hand. No. Because unlike himself, who has seen the darkest parts of the world. Observed it first hand. Their leader will not be able to fully grasp the darkest part of innocence. The very thing that has destroyed even some of the mightiest of empires. He will think that this woman is easily controlled, and easily handled. Not a threat to him at all. For the most part this will be true, but he will not see the most deadliest of sins innocence has on a shinobi until it is too late. With great innocence, comes the purest and most untainted of love. As untainted and as clear as the freshest mountain streams. And is it not only natural that more then one creature, person or not, will seek out that love for itself. In other words, to make it short. If there is only one stream, and many thirsty mouths. Greedy and selfish mouths. There are bound to be a few...problems.

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Kakuzu looked up to the sky, now a vast spray of brilliant reds and yellows. His liquid green colored eyes trained on the the smallest of movements in the forest around him and his ears keen on the quietest of sounds coming from the shadows. The smell of fresh cool air filling his lung with its sweetly clear aurora even with his mask placed protectively over his face. How had she done it once again? It had been six days since their mission to capture this woman had been officially given and they still had yet to capture her. None of them, not one single member of the Akatsuki, had been able to catch her. They had not even been able to touch her. And the time that was being passed in pursuit for her was increasing by the hour. His eye narrowed dangerously as the thought of all the wasted time that had passed. Time he could have spent chasing down a bounty. This woman. This incredibly weak woman. She always somehow managed to escape their grasp just as they're closing in on her. Three times she had escaped them, and now this would be the fourth. First at the bathhouse, and then in the woods. Both times she had used her summoning creature. Now though. The last two times she had not been using her creature to escape them. The third time she had used a perfect charka substitution, and now...he just wasn't sure how she had done it. And so flawlessly. There was no logical explanation of how she could have vanished without a single trace. The Akatsuki were some of the most elite trackers around, and yet, the woman's trail came to a dead end abruptly near the center of the forest. In was frustrating to say the least. To have such a weak ninja, if she could be even called a ninja, escaping you at every turn. Especially if you happen to be in a group of the most feared and highest leveled ninja the five great nations had to offer. It was rather, insulting.

To make the situation even more agitating to Kakuzu, there was another matter that Kakuzu found somewhat disturbing, besides the fact that the woman kept avoiding capture. It was her genjutsu. She had used no hand signs. The only other who had ever been able to do that from his knowledge was Itachi. And that was because he possessed the sharingun. He frowned under his mask. Kakuzu was quite sure, actually positive, this woman did not possess such an eye technique. It was not even a possibility. First off, her eyes and her body structure did not compare with that of an Uchiha's. Second, she would have likely used it more often while attempting to escape them, meaning that they would have seen the tail-tail trade marks of the sharingun. Not of them had seen any such indications. To make her use of genjutsu even more of a danger though, was that it had been able to somehow break though or get around Deidara's eyes. Deidara had trained his eyes to develop a natural genjutsu disperser. Somehow though, even despite his abilities against genjustu, the woman had still managed to get past it. What was her secret? It vexed him. Even from the beginning of the chase, he had felt that there were some things off about her. She just kind of gave off the vibe that she was one in a billion. That there was something that only she could do. Other than being immortal. What was it?

Deidara was also having thoughts similar to that of Kakuzu's, and he for one, was not so happy when he thought back on the incident. For some years he had worked on his resistance to genjutsu. Yet. This woman had managed to break through his training like it was effortless. It irritated him, but he also had to respect the woman. He did respect the woman. Even if she was getting slightly annoying from her constant escapes from their grasp when escape seemed impossible, she was still entertaining and a marvel in herself. She had disgraced, mocked, outwitted, and even managed earn the respect and fear of some of the Akatsuki members. This had all been done in complete silence, never a single word spoken from her lips. Which was more then could be said for some of the members as well. She was also no more exciting to look at than an average village girl. She was just so _normal_ looking, it almost hurt to think about it. When he had heard that they were to track down a new Akatsuki member. Even just a healer. He had expected some one a bit more, colorful. Blue hair, yellow eyes, scaly skin, horns on their head, some fancy eye technique, even three tongues. That wouldn't have been all to surprising to him, given _who_ was in the Akatsuki know. Yet, look at her, he thought to himself. Brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and two arms and legs. No extra appendages either. Where's the fun in that? Even her ninja pants and white jacket were so common. It was actually quite funny to think of such a seemingly normal looking woman to be forced into Akatsuki. It was strange.

The visual of Hidan on his hands and knees in the tall grasses, grains jammed into his mouth and down his throat, still brought a smile to his face. Ah yes. The reason he found this woman so great. So damn wonderful. A smirk crossed his lips as he looked over the side of his clay bird to glance down at Hidan. The woman. She was so innocent, and yet the epiphany of evil at the same time. His scope zoomed in on Hidan, who he could tell was cursing rather loudly from the lip movements he was making. He grinned mockingly. To some of the Akatsuki that is. Hidan was rather slow sometimes,most of the times, that was all too true, but even HE should not have fallen for the some mistakes twice. Yet, ironically, he did. From what he'd heard though, it had actually been three times. Deidara fought to hold back his laughter. By some fluke of nature he himself had been fooled once, but Hidan, was just being dragged through the mud. By a woman a little over half his size. The woman was not so tall, or wide. In height, Hidan was a good head and a half or so taller then her, but in weight and width. She was probably only a fraction more than half his weight and very slim. Now that he thought about it, Deidara put his hand to his chin thinking, she was very thin. Too thin to be healthy. Much too thin. She almost seemed to be starving by the way some of her bones lightly poked noticeably from her skin. There was still weight on her though, so she had had to been eating on a somewhat regular basis, right?

Deidara flopped down into a sitting position on his bird's back. Crossing his legs and plopping his chin into his hand in a thinking position. Why was he even worried about the woman anyway? She was their target, not his friend, or his _comrade_. A frown made its way to his lips as he crossed his arms across his chest in something suspiciously close to a pout. If these bastereds running in the Hidden Rain's forest below him could even be called his comrades. He guessed common acquaintances would be more appropriate. For even though he had had a fair amount of respect for Sasori-danna as a fellow artist, and had some respect for the other Akatsuki for their own talents. He felt nothing for them. Other then spite and slight annoyance. So why was he at all worried about this woman's eating habits. He shrugged his shoulders. Perhaps he didn't want his entertainment to end so soon. She was rather fun. She was quick and sly in an innocent kind of way, but at the same time, she was harmless to them. She was quite obviously weak. Weaker than most ninja. So it was more of as game of cat and mouse then a mission to capture their next member. Deidara had to wonder. How would she fight when she got cornered? She was not much of a fighter. Actually, she hadn't once lifted a finger against them. A smile crossed his face.

She reminded him of a little bunny running from a pack of hungry wolves. So small and near defenseless against her many pursuers, yet clever and quick on her feet. While the Akatsuki, the wolves, were large and powerful creatures. They are armed to the teeth and claws, and have the leg muscles to chase down even the most healthy of bucks. Yet, this little bunny, was outwitting the pack of vicious bloodthirsty wolves. Ducking into bolt holes when they are on her tail, hiding within the tall grasses when they have their eyes set on her, and then vanishing near instantly when they get her cornered. Always keeping the wolves guessing for unlike the buck, who will almost always fight to defend itself since it has the power to do so, the bunny will run and hide. Will try to escape from her pursuers with all the crafty tricks and mind boggling antics she can muster. Simply because, she can not fight back. Because that is all she has. Yes. To him, she was a bunny. And they...were the wolves.

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**Super Author's Note**

**Another chapter safely up and I'm literally jumping up and down to know what you think of it. I think the way the individual members of the Akatsuki would view Kiki would be very different from one another, because they are all capable of deeper or more upfront levels of thinking and understanding the risks and benefits of the smallest of traits. Such as innocence. **

**I'm sorry if I go off character a bit or whatever, but I've never actually read the manga or watched the shippuden. All of the Akatsuki thoughts and personalities that I've written is my own personal analysis of what I think they would be like, given what I've read in other fanfics. **

**When I think about it. This is a very quiet story. I mean there's very little talking in it. I don't know if people like my views, but I think that this story 'Kiki-The Healer' is actually speaking out what I think of the world. Kiki is a character I based heavily on myself, except I had to change and manipulate some of her personality traits and such to suit her past experiences.**

**When I created Kiki. I wanted a name that was easy to remember and an appearance that almost anyone could relate to. When I developed her physical traits, I wanted to make her as realistic as possible, because when a character is similar to what one actually sees around them in actual life. It is easier to relate to what is happening to them. This sense of familiarity with Kiki also allows the reader to put themselves in her shoes, since there are no outstanding traits like 'ANGEL'S WINGS or FIERY RED EYES' that a real person couldn't compete with.**

**Well, now you know a bit about the back stage developments to the story 'Kiki-The Healer'. If you'd like me to give you more background on it's origins and such, just tell me so. Please review...**

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Author's Note: Just recently my internet has been all but cut off, so my updates may take a while to get posted up. Sorry to all those who have been reading my stories, but I will try to update as often as I can...Kiki isn't one to pick sides or force her thoughts onto others, and in the end, that is what makes her so compatable with others.

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 12: Blank Blate

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Kiki walked down the muddy road that lay hidden among the Rain Village's thick forest, taking great care not to slip in the slick mush under her now dirtied shoes. That wouldn't have agreed with her white jacket and socks in the least. The morning air was still cool and pleasently refreshing. A light curtain of mist white escaping her lips with each breath she took. Just how she loved it. It was like her own mini heaven in the shroud of the liveing nightmare she had been induring for the last six days. But, a small smile crossed her lips, she had no room to complain. Did she? Though she had't seen him face to face as she so desprately wish they had, Kiki had sensed Zetsu nearby when she had awaken from her deep slumber.

Her eyes seemed to soften into an affectinate daze as she continued her cautious tread down the muddy road. She knew it had to be Zetsu. Who else knew of her existance, but wasn't trying to capture her with this knowledge at their disposial? The thought of having someone who she could rely on to any sort of extent made Kiki's heart sore to heights she had never known before. At the same time though, it filled her with a growing dread. A deep dread that seemed to tear at her very soul with each passing hour. With each step she took. What about her demon? What was she to do when he managed to escaped his temparary imprisionment within the seal and realized she was growing affections for another? What then?

Kiki felt a small ting of fresh moisture touch threateningly at the corners of her eyes. Her demon. The very thing that had made her life what it was now. Always running. Always hidding. Always silent. Forever seeking salvation, but denied the gates of heaven and tormented by the gates of hell. Never to live a life of joy or comfort, only the bittersweet memories that she holds so dear and yet dreads so passionatly keeping her atuned that she was at one time happy. That she had once known what it felt like to live a life without imminant doom and suffering waiting for her around every turn. Even if, it was only through her mother that she had found the sweet pleasures of saftey and tender acceptance. She had been happy. So happy.

The tears were coming. Starting to leak over the rims of her eyes, but Kiki realized this just in time to wipe away any traces of their exsistance. She would not cry. She couldn't allow herself to. Her eyes suddenly became near lifeless as she walked robotically down the muddy roads. When she thought about it, it wasn't her demon she had to blame for her torment. It always was and always would be, her own immortality and healing powers that bound her to a life of endless misery and pain. That, her eyes lowed to her hands as she brought them out before her, would always be her true curse. Her unforgivable sin.

Life is only suppost to move forward. Never to be reversed. Never to be tampered with. But she, as a young girl with no right, had broken that cycle. The very cycle in which life is stabilized and maintained though the prossess of life and death. That was her sin. Her sin from birth. A sin near unforgivable to the heavens and evidently unforgivable to the earth its self. Because she, with her immortality and her powers, have assumed the role of an imposing God. A false god of human flesh. The sin of all sins.

With her hands she can heal the wounded. With her hands she can cure the ill. With her hands she can heal the blind, the deph, and the lame. Yes. Her hands, her whole been, was that of a God's. Able to reverse the effects of biological prossess on the turn of a whim and the flick of the wrists. That, is a near unforgivable sin. Though others are capable of such things, like the medics of the Hidden Villages, it was forgiven by the heavens for they are human and do not know the dangers in which they tread with their professions. But she, Kiki, not the medic or the god. A mere healer, for the title medic was given to those known as ninja. She had committed and been given the greatest taboos of the world of the lifing. Of mortal flesh and tainted souls.

The act of possessing immortality is a sin to life which cannot be forgiven until the cycle of that indivisual continues on its wayward quest to salvation. The near unforgivable sin to the heavens. Stopping the life cycle and keeping it at an ever insureing stand still. Decaying the life that had been so peacfully living within its boundies from the inside out, but never to disappear in the fabrics of time. That is the highest degree of sin against mortal flesh and mother earth. Kiki though, possessed the ability to committe the ultimant sin.

The ultiment sin. A sin that shames all others and that even the heavens themselves shun. The very ability that Kiki has been haunted by for all her life. To know that she possesses it, but to never use it in fear of its consequences. The very hand of god. For in life there is death. It is the way of time and equal balance. To maintain the fragil relationship of earth and heaven. Forever separating the spirital world from the world of the living. Even so, there is a sin that breaks this law. A life for a life is the younger sibling of this sin. So though it is closily related to the sin against Heaven, it is not unforgivable. For the cycle of heaven and earth is balanced out by the equal trading of one life for another. A soul for a soul. But Kiki...has the ability to become the ultiment sinner. For she can committ the one sin, that the heavens, cannot forgive. The sin of gods.

* * *

Hidan sat at the ledge of a large towering building's massive form, looking out over the Rain village's many city like structures and daring sky line. He was sulking. At the moment, all he could think about was that woman. That extremely evil woman. That little bitch! A snare crossed his lips as he watched the sun beginning to settle right above the monsterious city, basking the people below in its warm glow. Why couldn't he catch her!? He felt his shoulder and jaw muscles twitch involentaraly. Damn her. Damn her to HELL! She was so weak. So damn weak. Yet he couldn't even lay a single fucken finger on her. It was so irritating.

Hidan felt the blood suddenly rush to his face. By lord he was humiliated. Not one, not even two, but three times she had made a fool of him. Was she trying to tick him off!? With her petty tricks and decivingly innocent appearance. What the hell was wrong with this fucken picture? When did he, Hidan of the imfamous Zombie twins, become the sorce of entertainment to the heathen scum surrounding him. Since that heathen bitch made a laughing stock of him, Hidan reminded himself bitterly. He bit his lip in an attempt to calm himself down. He would kill that heathen bitch. He be damned if he let her immortality stand in the way of his revenge. He would find a way. This thought seemed to settle his raging anger just enough to allow him some peace of mind.

Kakuzu glanced over to his partner with a light glare and felt a distinct frown spread across his face. "Hidan..." That got the albino's attention. "...stop sulking and pull yourself together." Hidan let out a low growl at this, but Kakuzu ignored it and continued nonetheless. "It is your own rash stupidity you should blame for your misfortions." That definatly got under Hidan already painfully tight collar.

"What the fuck would you know you damn heathen mister!?" Hidan all but hissed, but it came out more of a whine if anything. "The fucken bitch is the damn reincarnation of Satan!" Hidan was now bright red in rage and Kakuzu's silent sckeptical glare wasn't helping with the albino's ever mounting anger at the god forsaken woman.

"Shut up Hidan..." Hidan felt a sneer cross his lips as he braced himself for what he knew would come next. "...or I'll kill you." It was a low and unconcerned tone, one that never failed to draw out the worst side of Hidan, but after his experiances with the damn woman it didn't seem half as bad as it usually did.

Hidan let the sneer on his face lighten a bit as he thought about the woman. Incredibly, in a much different light this time. She had never told him to shut up. No matter how much he had cursed at her or called her a bitch. Hidan let his slimmed glower settle on Kakuzu's turned back. Unlike some filthy heathens. The sense of complete silence this woman had was something forign to Hidan. Sure Kakuzu wasn't exactly a big talker, seeing as many ninja weren't, but even he had a few words on occasion. This woman, hadn't even muttered a sound. Truth be told. Beneath all the anger and spite he held for the heathen bitch, Hidan was in fact very curious about her. Just who was she?

That question, seemed to be plaging on his mind like a bad cold. Simply refused to leave him be. What was it that made him long to understand who she was? To Hidan, this was a foriegn feeling. Wanting to know about another. Usually he'd simlpy kill whom ever he met and then move on to another. That had been how he always was, but there was something about this woman that was nagging at his mind. Making him seek more about her. About who she was. Was it her silence. No, likely not. But even so, perhaps, Hidan felt his mind dwell on the thought, that silence and her secrecy was what was sparking his curiousity. Yes. Now that Hidan thought more deeply about it, she was different then any of the opponates he'd fought in the past. She didn't brag about her powers and abilities _to_ him, or try to pursosely pry anger out _of_ him, or even spout heathen nonsense _at_ him. She simply was. Perhaps, that was what intreged Hidan the most about her. She was a blank slate. With no appearent influances or views on the trivials of humanity's biases. She was, dear he say it, pure in the sense of social and political order.

"Hey, un." The deep masculine voice of Deidara caught both Hidan and Kakuzu's ears as the blonde bomber came up next to them atop his clay owl, circling around the building a few times with a gracful ease. "I just caught sight of the woman, yeah." This immediatly got Kakuzu and Hidan's attention. "She's at the edge of the Village right now."

Of the Zombie twins Kakuzu was the first to speak. "What is her position and direction." Kakuzu looked directly at the bomber as Deidara circled back around to face the miser. "Have you informed the other's of this?" Deidara shook his head at the question, coaxing a hidden frown from Kakuzu.

"No. Kisame and Itachi traveled to the waterfall village to search for the woman and I haven't heard from Leader-sama or Konan, yeah. We'll have to capture the woman on our own, un." Deidara explained in a slightly annoyed tone, his usually laid back poster becomeing slightly uneasy at the mentioning of the woman.

Kakuzu immediatly understood what had the younger ninja so uneasy on the subject of the woman. It was the genjustu the woman had cast on him some days ago. The...bees. Kakuzu couldn't help but let a small smirk crawl onto his lips. So the young bomber must have finally come to the realization that there was something more to it than her merely casting a genjutsu. Much more. If Kakuzu had to assume anything. He'd have to come to the very real conclusion that this woman had some kind of power. Perhaps even a blood-line limit. Kakuzu's face suddenly became deadly serious under the mask. If such a theory proves true. His eyes were now trained on Deidara's eye peice in an intensly inspecting stare. Than it would mean that there is a Genjutsu based Gekkia Genki even more powerful than the sharingun. A rather uneasy prospect.

Hidan, who had been quiet up till then, suddenly burst out in fustration. "Lets go already then damnit!" Hidan declared rather loudly, jumping down from the building's impressive height and landing smoothly on the ground below, effectivaly scaring off most of the people who had been scurrying about the area.

Hidan suddenly bolted off in the general direction of where he though the woman was approuching the village from. Kakuzu and Deidara each let out a deep sigh of fustration. Like the rash moron he was known to be many a time, Hidan was heading in the comlpetely wrong direction to their target. Deidara couldn't help but smirk at this act of sheer stupidity. He just had to wonder to himself just how long it would take the idiot Hidan to realize he had absolutily no idea where he was going. A while at best, Deidara concluded with a wide smirk touching at his lips. It was a mocking smirk. One that caught Kakuzu's attention. He glanced over to the younger Akatsuki member and let a frown cross his face. Had this woman truely reduced Hidan, his partner and fellow Zombie twin, to this?

"Lets get going." Kakuzu gave Deidara a pointed look as he spoke. "The sooner we catch our target, the sooner I can get back to my bounties." Deidara puffed childishly at the miser's statement, but didn't comment seeing that Kakuzu could more than easily extend his arms and snap his neck in less than a second.

Kakuzu gave Deidara a threatening glower when he heard the younger ninja huffing in annoyance at his statement. Was it not his job to seek out finances for the Akatsuki organization? A deep frown set sternly on his scarred lips. It was not like Deidara was much use to the Akatsuki to begin with, other than catching the One tails beast that was inside the Suna brat. So what right did he have to critises? Kakuzu jumped down from his perch atop the building and landed neatly on the roof of another, following the blonde terrorist as he lead the way to their quary. Kakuzu secretly let a sigh of hoplessness escape under his breath. Sometimes, just sometimes. He wished there was someone to whom he could speak freely to without the self rightious bullshit he got from the other Akatsuki. Perhaps then he wouldn't feel so stressed every waking moment of every waking day. Yes. That could be it.

* * *

Konan observed the young woman, the Akatsuki's current target, from her own high seated perch above the city. Hidden expertly among the over hanging ledges of the massive sky line. She was studying the young woman closily. Watching her reactions and expressions towards the various people and objects around her as she roamed thoughout the city streets. And from what Konan had been seeing. She couldn't believe, couldn't bring herself to comprehend, that this was the woman who had evaded the Akatsuki four times in the course of a mere six days. Konan let a graceful frown touch delicatly at her painted lips. The woman was attacted to and intriged by the simplest of activities and objects. She was, very childish. Little toys in the shop windows, the city stand's owners selling their merchindice to the passerbys, even a peice of discarded tin laying crumpled on the street had caught the woman's eyes. Could this really be her? Konan couldn't seem to get past how someone so childish could actually escape the Akatsuki, an elite rouge ninja organization, four times. It was perposterious.

The woman was socially undomecticated. Konan realized this right away. It was painstakingly obvious, to be truthful. She smiled cheerfully at everyone who looked her way and often ventured into what most would consider danger zones. Such as dark alleys and deserted streets. Surprisingly though, Konan had to wonder a bit, the woman somehow managed to avoid the areas that were most violent or intolerant to strangers. This intreged Konan, but she was far to well minded to let her mind drift off the task at hand for too long. Another of the social mistakes that were displayed was that the woman was curious of anyone who was on the side of the road, do to homelessness or were simply drunk off their walkers. She would often walk right up to them and give them a charming little smile that was, in Konan's mind, the very image of innocence. Luckily for the young woman though, most of the people she'd approched were too drunk to react to her apparent niaveness. But for those who weren't. It just didn't seem to add up, since this was indeed, a very dangrous and unfreindly place for outsiders.

Konan once again had to wonder how this young woman managed to avoid confliced with others so easily. It was very strange. Perhaps her powers to feel others emotions played a big roll in her appearent ease at avoiding unpleasent situations. Konan let her poster lax a bit as she began her attempt to peice this girl together. She was vexing though. Immortal, an unrivaled power of healing, the ability to detect others emotions, and a possible blood-line limit. Those were the profitable aspects the Akatsuki would get from this woman. On the flip side though. Childishness, inexperiance, and weakness. Those were the traits that were setting Konan on edge. To have such a simple minded woman in the Akatsuki. Konan frowned deeply. There was just nothing that could truely make up for that. But then again. Perhaps her healing powers would be enough to condensate for the killer instinct she lacked. Hopefully.

The distant sounds of steady flapping reached Konan's sensitively keen ears. Konan's gaze apon her target did not waver as the flapping stopped some distance away from her own position. It was Deidara. Konan knew this. He had appearently deactivated his signature jutsu so that he could sneak in more closely to the woman. An ambush. Konan had to give the youngest member some credit. He had some sense of stealth. Even if he was explicitaly known for his eye caughting battle tactics. She could still easily feel his charkra flare though, and in Konan's mind, that is what truely set him apart from most of the senior members. Those with more experiance in the art of stealth.

The faintest of charkra flares. Konan immediatly noticed it as Kakuzu's by the sinister darkness and unbelieveable density of it. But unlike Deidara's chakra, whose was sparking off of him like a broken electrical wire, his was well hidden dispite its burning intensity. Expertly hidden in fact. If Konan hadn't been as high a ranking shinobi as she was. She propably wouldn't have even noticed it at all. Konan let her eyes quickly glance over to were Deidara and Kakuzu were approching the woman. She raised a delicately shaped eyebrow just the tiniest bit. So that was their plan then? Deidara was approching from the back, cutting through alleys and staying low, while Kakuzu was above, jumping over roof tops and pulling some distance ahead of the woman. Konan stared impassivaly at the scene being layed out before her in the city streets below as another thought crossed her mind unexpectedly. Where was Hidan?

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Wow! Kiki is a bad girl. But she is also a very good girl. So what is Kiki exactly? Good or bad? An asset or a liability? A god in human form or a human with the powers of a god? I know the answers, but you'll have to wait for future chapters to find out. BP**

**This story is going to get a lot more complicated and deep as I get farther and farther into both Kiki's and her demon's worlds. It may twist all that we humans believe of good and evil and it will explore the very makings of human nature to its most basic of functions. It will question the existance and purposes of Heaven and Hell. It may even force me to think!!! O_O'**

**Overall...this story is going to be one heck of a mind twister.**

**Please review...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**mistress akasha: Thank you, thank you, your review is very much appreciated...seriously. Don't worry. There WILL be more romance once Kiki is captured by the Akatsuki since she'll be with them more often. Also, I am honestly thinking about the Zetsu-flashback, but I'm not so sure yet. Only time will tell. ^.^**

**TykiMickLover: Thank you very much for the review. I truly makes all my struggles meaningful when readers of the story take the time and effort to fill out a review just as I take the time and effort to write the story chapters and then post them up. :)**

**Elisa-of-the-Flames: I want to thank with all my heart and creative writing skills for your butt kicking reviews. It is true that Kiki and Hidan are opposites, and yes Hidan does see Kiki as Satan's spawn, but that's what makes it so great. (I think...)**

**rushninja: I know Kiki is a tricky little thing, and that's why she hasn't been captured yet, but the Akatsuki ARE elite trackers and such. So they will capture her very soon. As for Hidan...you'll find out soon enough. Bwha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!**

**Orika00: Man I'm glad I updated when I did or else I would probably be drowning neck deep in threat-mail. Not that it's not appreciated. It's refreshing to know people like my story that much. Also, yes I agree that Hidan is getting his butt kicked and the Demon needs a good whipping. It makes for good reading though, besides, it's these details that make a story worth wile. Still, the demon's not as one-sided as many may think. =)**

**Author's Note: Kiki has taken the Akatsuki on a ride to the end of the continent and back again, but all great journeys of such a nature have an end. When, but more importantly how, will Kiki's?

* * *

**

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 13: Last Straw**

Hidan was fuming in silent rage, his face and the tips of his ears bright red in anger and embarrassment while his flushed lips were set into a strained sneer. He had been going the wrong way the whole fucken time. Damn it all! Why the hell didn't that damn miser or that freakish transvestite tell him that _before_ he ran off to Jashin knows where like an idiot? Shit! Hidan felt his head twitch at the thought of Deidara laughing his up tight ass off at him. Heathen basterd. He could just see it. The taunting smirk, the gleam in his eyes. Hell, he could even invasion the strained expression the blonde headed pyromaniac was probably fighting to compose. Why could he picture this so vividly in his mind again? Oh yeah. It had already happened fucken twice over the course of six days. No. Make that three times. That bitch was making a fool out of him!

Hidan looked up to the cloudless sky overhead. He watched the bleeding shades of red and orange beginning to thinly spread across the darkening sky. A frown crossed his dried lips. The sun was just starting to begin its slow decent down behind the shadowed mountains in the far distance. It was going to be dark soon and he couldn't locate the woman or his fellow Akatsuki. Where the hell were they? Hidan picked his speed up even more while he glid effortlessly across the many roof tops of the Rain village, quickly glancing about the areas he passed over as he went. Were Kakuzu and Deidara already chasing the woman? Had she already been captured? Had she escaped yet again? These questions seemed to be plaguing at Hidan's mind none stop. Farther feeding the massive rage within him. He couldn't sense their chakra...

Booming...Crashing...Screaming...

Hidan stopped dead in his tracks. The muscles in his upper back and shoulders tensing in an experienced expectancy. His head instantly snapped over in the direction where the sounds were coming from. There they were. He could recognize that attack style anywhere. Deidara was just kind of easy to find like that when attacking. Then again, who else used explosive clay as their weapon of chose? Not many. That was for sure. The jaw muscles in Hidan's mouth began to ache deliciously. Why was his jaw so tightly closed? Not that he was complaining. The sharpness of the ache felt comforting to his tensing muscles. The pain traveled from his jaw to this chest, leaving a small tingling sensation where ever the spike of numbing ache went. Strange. That had never happened before. Perhaps he would have Kakuzu look at his jaw line and heart once they caught that heathen woman. Very likely. At least the miser was good for something. Hidan smirked lightly at the thought of pestering his easily agitated partner.

Hidan bolted full force towards the sights of destruction where Deidara's bombs were going off at an alarming rate. Damn! Did it really take that many tries to hit one lousy target or was Deidara just toying with her? Hidan didn't know, nor did he actually care. All he knew was that the woman was still on the loose. Meaning he still had his chance to get sweet revenge on the bitch for making him look the fool...again. And again. And again! Still, Pein was going to be _pissed_ at the blonde idiot for needlessly destroying vast parts of the Rain village just to capture one target. Hidan let the visual of Pein, their usually calm, static leader, seething under his already tight collar fill him with a sense of pride, spreading distinctive warmth to his lower gut and fingers. Deidara was so going to get it. A grin spread upon Hidan's face. And he would be sure to be in the prime viewing position when the transvestite got what was coming to him.

One woman. Hidan snorted from deep in the back of his air pipe at the reminder. That one woman. That one impossibly horrible bitch was very possibly the single most difficult mission the Akatsuki, as a whole or alone, have ever had to face. Ironic. The nameless woman that all the Akatsuki seem to be after. A sneer crossed over his features. Pathetic. That they hadn't even been able to get a stupid name on her even though they'd been tracking her for a little under a week now. No age. No name. No background. No known connections. No name! No information other then a few rumors. No known homeland. NO LOUSY NAME!!! Hidan's shoulders twitched irritably at the thought. Why couldn't he get over that one little fact!? Sure he didn't know her name, but he didn't know the names of most of his victims either. It just didn't make sense. He had never been one for formal introduction before. Why now? But something. Something about this seemingly normal woman. Was driving him to know more about her. More specifically...HER FUCKEN NAME!

A flash of white. Settle in the fainting light but still recognizable even from a distance. It passed through the building openings a few blocks from where Hidan was moving through the roof tops. Hidan immediately identified it as the young woman by the unusually calming properties of her chakra pressure. Soft and warming with a tint of cool after-sensation. Strange chakra signature for any ninja, but at least it made her easy to track, Hidan mused silently to himself. He flipped his grounded foot into a sharp twirl, loosening the peeling paint atop the roof with the force of it, and headed towards the woman's blurred form. He jumped down from the roof tops and flashed from alleyway to alleyway towards the woman. He could easily follow her chakra trail. She wasn't trying to hide it anyway. All he had to do now was outrun her and she'd be all his. Given the fact that Deidara and Kakuzu were nowhere in sight that is. Hidan's mind finally seemed to recognize this. Where were they?

Hidan let his narrow eyes trail the quick moving blur of smudging white from a reasonable distance. He was hanging back temporarily from approaching her right off the bat, because he wanted to observe her actions. As rare as it may have been for him to do so. He just felt deep down in his gut that there was something he was missing about this woman. Something important. And on top of it, he often trusted his gut instincts. Since he was young, he had always followed what his body felt was right. Joining the teachings of Jashin. Had felt right to him as well. The rush of pain when his blade cut into his own flesh in joyous rapture, the sensation of his blood running freely through his fingers as the life left him at the height of ecstasy. It had all felt right. It had felt like he was somehow complete. Like he had finally repented for his sins. Contented with himself. Though he did not know why. He felt that that was how he was meant to live his life. As a jashinist.

She was dodging and dunking elegantly through shadowed alleys and under discarded trash piles that were lying about the empty streets. Hidan felt his eyes slim at the flashing form darting into a dark alley to the left. He had to admit, she was fast. Very fast. Faster than most lower leveled ninja, but he was no low level ninja. A smirk crossed his expression. He was an S-class criminal. One of the infamous Zombie twins. That smirk was quickly replaced by a deep frown of displeasure as these thoughts filled his mind. If he was so powerful. Then why hadn't he been able to catch this one woman over the course of SIX days. He had massacred villages in the name of his god, ripped ambu to pieces with nothing but a scythe and his bare hands, and even brought some of the most powerful shinobi the world has ever seen to their knees. So why couldn't he capture this one incredibly weak woman!?

* * *

Konan watched as Hidan closed in on the woman, readying to grab at her the moment she was within his reach. She felt the cold chill that was running ramped through her spine and grimaced lightly, but not from fear. It was anger she was sure. White seething anger that burned at her very soul to be honest. Something she was not so familiar with at all. Never had been. Then again, she wasn't so familiar with watching Kakuzu being out-smarted by such a simple minded woman either. Any person for that matter. It was unheard of. Preposterous. A jolting aggravation nagged at Konan's shoulder blades, making them itch and tingle. She was tempted to stretch at them, to relieve the irritation residing in her joints. For the first time in years, she felt the need to violently attack someone, something, ANYTHING. This emotion she was feeling. Could it truly be anger? That thought smacked Konan full on in the face like a PMSing bitch. When did she...get angry like this?

Annoyance, irritation, dislike, and even discomfort. All these emotions she was familiar with. She had to deal with them everyday she woke up knowing she was part of the Akatsuki. An organization filled with overbearing and incompetent men that never failed to displease her need for formal politeness as a necessity and cooperation as a single unit. Meaning, do what Pein says without question. With the exception of a few of the more civilized members. But even with this knowledge, never before had she felt such anger towards any of them. It was improper for a shinobi to be angered by such people. It clouded judgment and lead to rash behavior. Things, actions, she never indulged in. Even so, she knew she was getting angry. And over something as petty as capturing the young woman that was to be brought into the Akatsuki ranks. Unheard of.

Konan let a frown touch gently at her lips as she thought about the woman. Then a thought came to mind and waves of cold chills began to claw at her spine once again. That idiot Deidara was destroying the village needlessly. The Rain village. Pein's village. Her village. Their village. Konan felt the heat forming on her cheeks and at the base of her throat. She was pissed. Where was all this anger coming from? She did not know what was causing them, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling these sensations of rage either. What was she so angry at? Surely a few mistakes from these idiots shouldn't be enough to upset her so much. Right? She was more well trained then that. She never let her emotions cloud her judgment. She never let herself fall victim to her own emotions. She was a shinobi of the Rain. She was a perfectly impassive shinobi that had no feelings other then those permitted by ninja code. None once so ever.

Konan could still feel the livid feelings stirring foreignly within her chest, but she knew she still had to remain on task despite her difficulties. It was of the up most importance that she gather as much intelligence of their target as possible, before the woman was entered into the Akatsuki as a full fledged member. Unfortunately, that was a lot harder than she had at first thought. Given that the young woman hadn't uttered a single word or sound the whole time Konan had been trailing her movements. It sort of irked some impatience from the blue hair woman, but aside from the lack of conversation, which bored Konan severely, it gave Konan insight into a few of the behaviors the younger woman had. She was apparently mute, and therefore, tended to exaggerate her gestures and expressions to an extreme. She also had a habit of looking down or up when she walked. Perhaps a strategy used to avoid awkward conversations with those around her. Perhaps she was just shy...Or had something to hide.

Konan let her dark violet eyes flicker to Hidan's form, gliding effortlessly through the alleys a few yards from the young woman's location. Perhaps thirty or so. Not too far off. Konan noticed the woman suddenly look back towards Hidan's approaching salute, her warm brown eyes widening instantly at the dawning realization. An impassive expression shadowed over Konan's delicate features as she watched the scene playing out before her. It had taken the woman that long to figure out that Hidan was behind her? The tensing of her shoulders was back. Konan suppressed the shivers of frustration that raked down her back. She had to calm herself. She couldn't allow the arrival of this woman throw her off her game. She was a ninja damnit. She was a member of the Akatsuki. She had more self control then this. She did not let her emotions get the better of her. She was a shinobi and she would act as such.

The young woman suddenly turned a sharp corner to the left, obviously trying to shake Hidan off her trial with fancy foot work maneuvers and quick reflexes. Hidan was not and probably never would be so easily outmaneuvered though. He easily managed to make the turn in time, despite the abrupt suddenness and sharpness of it. Konan tilted her head slightly. Trying to get a good look around the corner the woman and Hidan had turned down, but it was too sharp for her to peer around. A frown crossed her painted lips once again. But this time it was deeper and more noticeable than she usually allowed herself. This woman had no talent as a shinobi. The beginning of a glower etched across Konan's usually expressionless face. All she did was run away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Nothing more and nothing less. It was disturbing to watch really.

Konan rose carefully from her crotched position along the shadowed ledge and let her elegant form shine angelically against the setting sun. The rays of darkening blood reds and bleeding yellows adding fiery highlights to her soft blue locks in a blaze of colors as she stared impassively in the direction the younger woman had lead Hidan down. She would have to follow them. She knew this. If her mission was to be successful, she couldn't let them out of her sight. Her eyes closed as she breathed in the gradually cooling air. It would be night soon. The scent was heavy in the air. Konan slowly opened her eyes. She was calm now. The passionate fire she had felt before now gone from her being, replaced by a vast nothingness within her soul. A nothingness she understood as her own emptiness. Her way as a shinobi. That was the way of her world. To be lead into the world in which she walks by the leader to which she is loyal, for she, had no strive, no motives. Only those she was lead into. She, now calmed from her frenzied state of anger, was barely even human anymore. A perfectly sculpted statue of marble. She was truly a shinobi.

Flapping. Folding. Fluttering. Paper scattering throughout the many winds, their once snow white surfaces reflecting brilliant red against the setting sun's warm glow. Beautiful. Deadly. Konan's ninja art. Perhaps her ninja art also reflects her soul as well. As they do for so many. It is only natural. Is it not? Something, someone so delicate, shaped into a weapon of great power and beauty for the serves of others. Those who she serves loyally. Once so pure, like the snow that falls in the coldest of winters, but soon stained in the hands of merciless blood. Shrouding the world in its crimson grasp. Deadly. Beautiful. Hypnotic. Flowing endlessly among the souls of the untainted innocent. Corrupting them with its ghostly touch, its caress of temptation. The damned. The living. The Dead. Ripping the soil from the earth beneath and the air from the skies above. Shinobi.

* * *

Hidan could feel the sweet smelling early winter wind kissing against his exposed skin. Feel the street passing beneath his feet. The setting sun warming the blood within his flesh and bones. Senses heightened to its fullest. As a predator in search of its unwary prey. His prey though, knew he was there. Perusing her. She was running from him as well, because she was not strong as he was. As all good prey should. He could almost taste her mounting desperation to escape as she scurried and bolted blindly through one alleyway after another. Hidan licked his dried lips, moistening out the slight cracks that were causing him irritation. He was closing in on the target. It filled him with pride to almost have the damn woman in his grasp too. He could feel the warmth in his lower gut, winding itself up his spin like a vine. It felt good. Very good. Better than it ever had before. Why did it feel so good?

The woman's dark brown hair flapped and waved freely in the rushing air behind her, a reddish glow highlighting her loose locks like wild fire. Hidan noted that her unusually curled locks hair was no longer in the bun she usually wore it in. When he had first seen her at that bathhouse anyway. Her legs were becoming slightly unsteady and swayed softly each time she landed from a light footed leap. She was tired. Extremely so. Hidan knew this to be so. Who wouldn't? She had been on the run for days nearly nonstop, and now she was sprinting through the Rain village, attempting to get away from him. Hidan defiantly knew she was tired. It was pretty obvious to be truthful. She probably wasn't use to being persuaded for so long. Hidan though, knew she must have been on the run for a great portion of her life. Not just anyone could elude the Akatsuki for so long, without some kind of experience in the art of escape. That much he could be sure of.

Hidan frowned deeply. Questions upon questions. Every time he thought about the woman, always more questions would be waiting to greet him at the end. Like a wolf spider in the dark, they waited just out of sight. Then when he finally spotted them, they would dash away from the light. Away from his curious eyes and his searching gaze. Teasing and taunting him to no end. But always waiting in the deepest shadows of his own mind. Every time he discovered something new about her. There were always more questions to replace his new found discovery. It irked him to no end. To know that no matter how much he learned about her, there would always be something else he needed to know. Something else he would need to search for to settle the mounting curiosity he was harboring within. And she still hadn't even muttered a single word to him! Bitch!

Was he really so insignificant in her eyes that he didn't even reflect. Did he not truly exist in her eyes, to the point that she felt no need to acknowledge him? The whole Akatsuki, but Kisame. Not even a word, but Kisame had gotten a smile. Not a sound of disagreement or anger, fear or even annoyance. BUT KISAME GOT A SMILE!!! What exactly was he, Hidan of the Akatsuki, to her? She didn't beg like those who feared him, Hidan, one of the infamous Zombie Twins. Didn't taunt him like those who mock him. Didn't yell, scream, or rant like those who hated him. She didn't seem to have any attraction nor repulsion towards him or any of the other Akatsuki members either. Yet, her silence was so much deeper than any words she could have spoken. It pulled him in with open arms, but also it commanded him to stay away. Forced him to maintain a distance. Kept him out. Kept them all out.

Hidan felt Konan's sharp edged chakra signature getting close. She was almost beside him now, and he could hear the faintest fluttering of paper wings next to his keenly sharpened ears. Hidan thought nothing of it at first, but as he continued to close in on the fleeing woman, he began to realize the indications of Konan's seemingly mysterious appearance. If Konan was following him, then that must mean that Pein was questioning the rest of their abilities to handle this one woman. That had to be the reason for sending his own partner to track the same woman they were sent after as well. It was an insult if anything. Hidan grit his teeth at the thought. So Pein thought that he was incapable of capturing this one insignificant target. A distinctive frigid warmth creped uncomfortably onto his face and down his spine. Well, he'd show them. He'd show them all that he was no fool.

Hidan pushed a massive surge of chakra to his straining thighs and calves, forcing his long muscular legs to move faster and harder, while his feet began to nearly glid effortlessly above the ground. The once gentle breeze kissing through his slicked back hair and across his firmly toned chest now becoming a howling wind that whipped at his cloak viciously. Howling in his ears like a crazed animal demanding to be fed. Or perhaps it was his own inner conscious telling him that. That he need to be feed. To be released from its imprisonment deep within his soul. Foot by foot, yard by yard his body was pushed closer to his target's frantically fleeing one. A chilling sense of cooling warmth burned deeply within his chest as her small form came closer and closer to his awaiting grasp. Poised for the kill.

Pride. Redemption. Success. He almost had her. He could almost taste the sheer mounting fear radiating off her like rays of light from the sun. Somehow, Hidan had the overwhelming feeling, deep in the back of his mind and in the pits of his gut, that that fear wasn't towards him. That it never had been. Like it was being caused by some unseen force. Perhaps that was one of the things that irked him the most. Among other things. That she did not fear him the way that one should. The way the prey should to its predator. Hidan let a small, cold smirk cross his deathly pale lips. It didn't matter though. Did it? She was his now. There was no escape for her. She would not make a fool of him this time.

He reached out his hand, reaching towards the woman who had made the last few days of his life a living hell. His long but sturdy fingers grazing lightly at the soft locks of her curled hair that was flowing freely in the rising winds. He did not grab at her hair though, for even had he done so, the hair would have simply ripped out at the speed they were going. Her body flinched visibly at the contact and Hidan knew it was taking her an enormous amount of effort to look back at him. It was written all over her posture. Ever detail. The tensing of her shoulders and the sudden near stumble of her legs. Fabric like material touched at his finger tips. Her jacket. He had her. He knew he did. There was no escape. His fingers began to curl around the fabric, the woman's posture stiffed even tighter though she continued to run. Hidan was about to grab the back of her jacket fully, but...

What...Where'd the ground go?

Down...The fabric slipping from his grasp.

Down...The earth leaving beneath his feet.

Down...The air rushing up to greet him.

Falling...Can't stop...Why?

Darkness...The light at the end is becoming smaller.

No crack, no splash, no sound, nothing...Just silence and nothingness.

Hidan momentarily forgot how to speak, so stunned he was at this sudden turn of events. "The fuck?" The absolute darkness around him blocked all sight from his wandering eyes, blinding him from all. "What the..." Hidan lifted his damp fingers to his nose and sniffed ever so lightly, and though it may not have been visible within the darkness enveloping him, Hidan's eyes widened in pure horrific shock at the realization. "WHAT THE FUCK!!!"

* * *

The world in which Sean lives is dark now. So dark. As it had been for so many years. No light. No warmth. No life. But perhaps he likes it that way. Wouldn't most demons? Mortals may never know. Perhaps he was use to it. It gives him time to think. Too much time maybe. Far too much. No time. No space. No distractions. Meaning, in short, no Kiki. Sean slammed his fists into the once dead still waters on which he sat, causing glittering ripples of frosty white to spread slowly from the points of impact. Like wax falling from the tree's weeping bark. The howls of lost souls within the tearing ripples crying out in their pain. That's probably what he hated most about this place. Everything moved slower then it actually did. Or maybe he was going crazy. But he had already done so. From what he could recall. So could he again?

At the moment, he did not so much care about such matters of sanity and insanity. Both were merely a state of being in his eyes. No real significance to him. He lived his life swaying between the realities and actualities of human nature and the never ending void of nothingness within him everyday. Insanity was not new to him. Neither was sanity. Though both also seemed to elude him. He wished that things could go back the way they had been. When he was not so confused. So disoriented about the realities of his existence. Lost in the very fabrics of time and space. Or never being present at all. When he knew what to expect. When he was free. Free from the bonds in which he had been imprisoned. When humanity was still innocent. Those were the times he had once treasured. That was all he could really think about. But then came Kiki.

Thinking about what he should be thinking about. Sean had grown accustom to it over the many millennia he had been walking the earth. Spiritually anyway. This sense of nothingness around him. The feeling of being cut off from everything around him, but being connected to it all. He had been forced to stay within this hollow place for most of his young life. After he was captured by the humans that is that is. That was a long, long time ago. Or maybe it hadn't been so long ago, but this place made everything slow down so it only seemed that way. Stretched time to its limits. The world was changing though. His own personal hell. A prison designed especially to keep him locked away from the world. His world. The one he helped create. And they had taken it from him. The one he had fought so hard to maintain the innocence of. He and his brother. But then...

Humans. The very though left a bad taste in his mouth. It was they who had made him the way he was. That turned him into the monster, the thing, he was becoming. Had become. They made him into this impure creature. The thing they despised and shunned. When he had been the one, the last one, trying to prevent what he had become from ever becoming him. He had tried to save the humans from themselves, but they had not listened. They never did. Never. They had not even stopped their ridiculous ways when he had told of their imminent future should they continue down the path in which they had chosen to tread. No. They had not listened. They had turned a deaf ear to him, but they didn't stop there. No. They would never stop would they? There was no reasoning with them. Because in the end, they were all the same. They themselves didn't even know how truly screwed up they were. How impure. All, but one that is.

A small glint of light flashed dully in Sean's eyes as he looked down at the now still waters and began to draw a face within the crimson dew. "...Kiki...Kiki...come back to me...come back to me." Something shone in the corners of his eyes, before in fell soundlessly down his pale cheek in its lone quest to existence, its bright light fading into the dark waters to which it fell. "Please...please......please."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Choose a response to this chapter...**

**1.) Loved it darling. Absolutely marvelous. (I see, so it was good.)**

**2.) WHY!? Why didn't Kiki get captured yet? (I'm sorry. I am a snot I know, but the chapter was good right?)**

**3.) YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BITCH!!! GIVE ME BACK MY COOKIES!!! (NEVERS!!!!!!!!!!!)**

**4.) It was o.k...(I feel the love.)**

**5.) What...what chapter? (......No comment.)**

**6.) Simply peachy! (...Peachy?)**

**7.) Shut up and start the next chapter already. (Okay, okay.)**

**Please review...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Aracade: Yes! I have left you all with the cursed questions! I am so bad am I not!? Bwha, ha, ha, ha!!!**

**nami98: But you can't have the cookies, cuz I ate them all...T-T**

**Wooden Skies: You shall not get cookies either! For I have eaten them! XD**

**Elisa-of-the-Flames: Once again an all inspiring review that has stormed the castle of my creative works without mercy!!! I hereby knight thee "Fanfiction's Master Reviewer". All raise your cups and cheer to you're greatness all mighty reviewer. And no, regrettably I'm not related to Masashi Kishimoto...from what I know anyway. 6.-**

**rushninja: I can't tell you what happened to Hidan right now...but...I can tell you it may...surprise you a bit. ^.^**

**The Dragon Mage: I know. I just won't give Hidan a break will I? Well, maybe I could be a little nicer to him.....................NOT!!! Behold my evilness-ness. BP**

**Orika00: It is true. Kiki still hasn't been captured and you're probably glaring at the computer screen at my avatar. But have mercy on Chibi Zetsu! The avatar has done nothing!!! Also, I think that you have some of the funniest reviews I've ever read...It makes me smile and laugh. 8D**

**Author's Note: I know you're all probably planning my death as I type this "Author's Note" for not allowing Kiki to be captured by Hidan, but please hold your torches, knives, kunai, acid buckets, car batteries, chain saws, and any other weapons of torture or pain until after this chapter...then we'll see if my death is still looming upon me. 6_6'

* * *

**

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 14: Beautiful Entrapment**

Konan felt her eyes suddenly widen in pure shock as she watched Hidan suddenly fall through a dark hole that he had obviously not seen. So intent he had been on capturing the woman. An expression of complete impassiveness cloaked her face as she could do nothing but stare intently at the hole below her. Had he actually...did he really fall into a hole? The twitch in her shoulder blade had once again returned, though she fought to suppress it. She was beginning to lose control of her bodily reactions. Idiot. How could he have not seen it!? The fool! The incompetent fool! He was a ninja for God's sake! A damn ninja. Not only that. He was an Akatsuki member. A bloody Akatsuki member! The urge to stretch the tension from her shoulder swept over her with a fury like she'd not felt before hand, but she resisted to temptation. Instead, she let her usually calm eyes glower at the hole in which Hidan and fallen from grace.

Slowly. The sounds of gentle rustling and steady folding once again filled the calm air with the sounds of seeming life. The whiteness of the paper still a luminescent blood red against the setting sun's dying light. Only when every piece of paper had found its proper place of rest, did Konan's body finally become whole. The redness of the late afternoon beat smoothly against her pale skin as she stood motionless against the gaze of the sun. A glorious statue to any who lay eyes on her glowing silhouette highlighted in the deepest but brightest of crimsons against the sun's fiery touch. She would have to insure that Hidan was not injured in such a way that he would become a liability to the Akatsuki. Still. She could feel the rage from deep within her soul threatening to take over as she thought of the stupidity that Hidan must possess in order to have fallen into a hole. Not a trap. Not a genjutsu. But a hole! It was embarrassing for Konan to even think about. The shame of it.

The sounds of ranting reverberated clearly through the tunnel below. High pitched and frantic. Becoming louder every second it continued to pour from the hole's black mouth. Then the smell came. Oh the smell came and kept coming. Konan felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise to a complete stand, the muscles in her back and thighs tightening. Her chest starting to constrict. By God! The smell was horrific. It was terrible. What the hell! Konan's hands clutched painfully at her side, resisting the impulse to cover her nose from the stench of it. Her eye started to twitch and water painfully, but she quickly blinked the tears and the twitches away. She had to remain calm and composed. She was a shinobi. She was a shinobi of great power. She could do this. She could do this. She had more self control then those basterds she worked with did. She could...

Then Hidan's fingers crept out of the hole. Then his hand came out. Slow. Shaking. Covered in a liquid like substance Konan could not even bring herself to look at. She could...she wouldn't even begin to describe it. Hidan hauled himself from the hole in a heavy heave. His cloak sagging and near slopping off his tense body from the wreaking fluids that they were saturated in. Chunks of the foul smelling things Konan refused to acknowledge flopping off of him in great steady flows of ooze. Konan felt the sickening repulsion as she could only watch Hidan get to his feet and stare wide eyed into her face. Speechless and obviously confused. But the facial expression Konan must have had at the moment. Must have given Hidan a clue that his appearance was defiantly worst then he had thought. Because after about ten seconds of staring dumbly at Konan...he looked down at himself.

Silence was probably the first sign Konan received that told her Hidan was losing it...and then. "................." More silence followed as he continued to stare blankly at his clothing, but Konan was still waiting for the outburst, the ear piercing screaming to come. "............." More silence still and Konan actually began to feel that Hidan may have actually lost it completely. "................Jashin, save me for I know not why I've been condemned from your graces." Hidan closed his eyes slowly and raised his face to the setting sun, before his eyes suddenly snapped open in a crazed psychopathic rage. "DAMN YOU!!! DAMN YOU!!! DAMN YOU!!! DAMN YOU!!! YOU FUCKEN BITCH!!! YOU DIRTY HEATHEN TRASH!!! YOU BITCH!!! YOU EVIL CUNT!!! DAMN WRENCH........" Needless to say Konan did not stick around for the rest of it. For she knew no damage had been done.

* * *

Kiki felt the caressing breeze flowing through her loose hair. The cool winds fanning lightly against her delicately tanned face. But the softness of the cool caresses did nothing to calm her soaring heart. Her speed was nearly cut in half from what it had been before. She was slowing down. So much so that she could now feel the distinct burn in her calves and thighs. Meaning the muscles in her legs were still releasing their stored energy reserves of chakra, but were not being used at the same rate in which they were still being produced. And it ached. Badly. For days she had been running, and for days the Akatsuki had been on her tail. In truth, and though she had spent her whole life on the run, no others had ever given her so much difficulty to shake. It was rather disheartening. More disheartening than Kiki even realized herself.

Years. For so many years she had been running. For years she had been trapped within her own world of icy solitude and painful memories. Of haunted dreams and of imminent tragedy. Averted eyes and hallow faces. She had never really understood why anyone could be punished at birth the way she had. Nor did she understand why it had been her to begin with. Though she had never thought of herself as ever receiving the shorter end of the stick. Perhaps this is because she had never had the good end of the stick to begin with. It was always dangerous for her to think of such things. The matters of what is and isn't fair. They made her susceptible to the promises of others. Made her seek what others could give her, because if she ever accepted the belief that she was indeed at the lowest point of life any creature could obtain, then she will strive to pull herself from that misery. For that is one of the qualities of all living things. To seek that which we do not have, but see in others.

Kiki could feel her lungs starting to hurt. To strain painfully as she came to a gradual stop in the side of a narrow alley. Her legs nearly buckled out from under her, but she caught herself before she fell to the hard and unforgiving concrete below her feet. She quickly looked about the area she was at and neither saw nor felt the presence of the Akatsuki. She put her thin hand to her chest firmly and leaned the whole of her weight onto the wall beside her. Shaking from exhaustion and agony. At least the Akatsuki's temporary absence would allow her time to recover briefly. Her vision was becoming blurry with moister as she struggled to keep her heavy breathing under control. Her lungs struggled to take in air one gasping breath at a time. Her lungs greedily sucking in what oxygen it could get. A glow came from her hand as its fingers clutched weakly at her jacket cloth. Her palm blue and flowing with chakra. Warm against her cool jacket in the wake of the ever growing night. But she could not rest long. She knew that it would only be a matter of time until they were following her again.

Kiki fully flattened her back against the wall which she had been leaning against and continued to regulate her erratic breathing. Her face looking up into the shadowing skies now painted a dark ocean blue and deep berry purple and adorned with the first sparkles of peeking stars among the folds of sadly colors. Why? Kiki felt the moister within her eyes becoming warmer. Fuller. Wetter. Beginning to burn with the salt of her threatening tears. Why? Why her? What had she done to deserve this? She could feel her eyes closing softly. She lifted her arms and hugged herself tightly, trying to hold back the trembling. Her body shivered as the breezes of early winter brushed tenderly against her exposed neck. Had she done something wrong? Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably now, and no matter how hard she squeezed them, they would not stop. Couldn't stop. Slowly, she let herself slid down the face of the wall. She pushed herself ever tighter to the surface behind her, and curled up into a tight ball. Her shaking would not stop.

All her life. From the earliest time she could remember. All she'd ever wanted was her mother. No. Not even that. Just someone to be with. To hold her. To warm her when it began to become cold. To comfort her in the night when the shadows and sounds around her began to draw ever closer with their sharpened claws ready to tear into her soft flesh without mercy. All these things though, were ripped away from her when she became four years old. Cast out into a world that was filled with so much pain and terror. Especially to a little girl. Someone to take care of her. To see her. To hold her softly while she's sleeping and tightly when she's scared. That's all she ever wanted. But she, a child of no value, a child with no voice, had never had those things once her mother was...But now. Always. She'd had so many chances to get that. To find the comfort she craves so feverishly. But she can never touch it. Never have it to herself. It hurt. It hurt so badly. More than Kiki could ever truly express.

Kiki closed her eyes tightly and huddled onto her side, facing towards the wall with her arms tightly wrapped around her middle. Her hips did not feel the hardness of the ground as she lay upon it. Her body was use to the stiffness of it from years of sleeping outside. But the feelings in her heart. They never stopped hurting did they? Always there. Always lingering in the darkest shadows of her soul. Waiting. For her to turn her back. She brought her hands up to her face. Covering her eyes and pushing her legs up to her chest. There she lay trembling on her side, afraid that should she remove her hands. The tears would break free and never stop. Would never seize their traitorous flow. Threatening to overtake her and throw her into a world of never ending darkness. Kiki felt the moisture building on her fingers, but she quickly wiped them away. She wouldn't dare. She couldn't.

Dizziness. Disorientation. Kiki felt the overbearing heaviness in her head begin to rotate circular patterns within her skull, making her vision swim in a hazy fog. Meshing colors flooded her line of vision. Everywhere she tried to look the colors were blending together in a sea of confusion. The gentle sheets of her pale white breath in the cold night air fanning out before her. The humming village lights around her, flickering in the darkness. All seemed to blend lovingly with the embrace of inky black shadows crawling through the alley. Yet, clash fiercely with the darkened purples of the sky. The light and colors were fading from her world. She could see it, but she couldn't stop it. What was happening to her? She didn't know. This had never happened to her before. But she could still see her hands moving animatedly in front of her. Trying to push her to her feet. Her body began to rise slowly. Very slowly. But her elbow joints gave way beneath her before she could attempt to steady her feet. She did not feel the impact as her head was rammed into the cement below. Was she...was she dying?

Kiki tried to think straight. Tried to make sense of what was happening to her body. Her groggy mind strained from the effort of the seemingly simple task. It wasn't working. A sudden chill swept through her body. Something she realized as the slowing of her blood flow. Was she dying? She had never died in such a manner before though. This feeling of complete exhaustion. It was new to her. Even when she had used her chakra substitution jutsu. She never felt this tried. So drained of energy. Could she truly be dying? Her breath was leaving her gradually. The strength in her arms and legs now completely gone. She could feel herself starting to die. Very slowly. Taunting her scrambled mind. She knew from the shutting down of her systems. She knew she was dying now. But why? She couldn't think. Why would she be dying? She let her eyes close. For keeping her eyes open was not possible for her now. She had no energy left. Her body was limp and defenseless. But unlike any other time she'd died. It was much, much slower. It was...it felt...okay.

* * *

Kakuzu looked to the sky with narrowed eyes, a displeased frown hidden beneath his mask. It was night now. Still and cold with the imminent promise of an early winter. He took a shallow breath before looking out across the Rain village below his perch on a sky lining building's sloping edge. A ghostly cloud of his breath visible in the still air of night. He couldn't sense her presence anymore. It had simply disappeared before he could reach it. He had been right there, and then, she had simply vanished. He let his eyes close in irritation. Pein would be displeased at the indications of this failure. Once again the woman had escaped from their grasp with minimum effort. Kakuzu felt a tense twitch in the muscles in his back. And to add insult to injury. She had escaped them on their own turf. The Rain village. The village in which the Akatsuki leader was kage of. Kakuzu suppressed a twitch of the head. It was simply too much for a proud man like himself to take lying down.

Kakuzu scanned over the village and let his mind ponder on the young woman that has eluded the Akatsuki's grasp five times in the course of a mere week. Counting this latest failure on the Akatsuki's part that is. When he looked back on the events which had lead up to this though. He wasn't all too surprised on how things turned out. The Akatsuki had underestimated this woman. Hidan especially. Kakuzu let his eyes flicker from one street light to another as the cool air chilled him to the bone with each breeze that passed by his wide sleeved cloak. Hidan, Deidara, Kisame, and even Konan had taken the woman too lightly. Possibly even Itachi had at first. But. He could see why they would. Who wouldn't without the level headedness and rationability needed to understand the problems expected when chasing down a target of little offensive abilities?

The woman was weak. Unbearably weak. It was almost sickening to be honest. And the Akatsuki had come to realize that early on in their pursuit of her. Unfortunately. That was why they had taken her so lightly. She was not a direct threat to them. In terms of physical damages anyway. So why would they take her seriously? They had no reason too. But that was what they thought. Not him though. There was a reason he'd been hanging back from directly capturing this woman for so long. Waiting to bring her back to the base. Kakuzu looked down at his palm emotionlessly before watching his breath glide gently in the cool night breezes. He had to know just how experienced this woman was in the art of escape. That had been why he'd held back. He had to know just how sharp her mind was. Because it was no secret to him, that she would try to escape.

Kakuzu's mind had already pieced together this conclusion of the woman escaping. She would try to escape. And succeed. He knew this to be so just by the extent of her abilities and her position in the world. He was a man of business after all. He was all too aware as to how the woman's routine likely worked. She had the ability to heal others. Yet she remained a wanderer with no connections or ties. A direct indication of her lack of social interests. Meaning, she didn't work with others by choice. With powers like hers. She could easily be accepted into any ninja village, or any village for that matter. With any background she would be accepted. Many powerful people who had heard rumor of her powers too, would be interested in her services. It was completely profitable. And he, being a miser as well, knew all too well how men of the nature operated. He worked with them all the time. So of course he'd know of their ways.

Another indicator as to why this woman would try to escape and likely be successful in her efforts. Was her obvious experience in the matter. This knowledge of how men in power thought, gave Kakuzu another clue into the variations in the woman's ability to elude capture. With abilities like her's. The power to heal others with such ease. She'd probably spent most her life running from the hands of greedy lords and organizations seeking a shift in power that favored themselves. Like the Akatsuki were doing now. Not that he had much room to judge, but he hadn't been judging to begin with. Merely assessing the nature of greed. His own personal sin. He knew that such men would send out parties to obtain the woman, shinobi or not, so that they could profit from her healing abilities. So for her to still be in the category wanderer. She must of had other powers and talents other then healing that would allow her to escape capture time and time again. Even escape capture from elite shinobi as the Akatsuki were.

Kakuzu was sharply cut from his thoughts as the flapping of wings reached his ears. Many wings. His senses immediately tracked the faint sounds within the silky fabrics of nightly shadows about him. Konan was returning to base. Kakuzu could tell by the direction and movements of the misplaced air which were obviously coming from her graceful movements. So she'd been unsuccessful in capturing the woman as well. Kakuzu sharpened his senses and waited in the stillness of the shadows for any indications that his partner was still in the area. He felt none. Kakuzu let his eyes narrow at the indication. The woman had somehow managed to make a fool of his partner again. Kakuzu jumped down from his position on the roof top and landed neatly on his feet. The feel of cold night air rushing up to meet him, before he landed. This time had been especially bad for Hidan to just leave so promptly. Kakuzu knew that.

Something caught his eye. Something small and clumsily hidden within the gaping shadows of a lonely alley street way. Kakuzu turned his full attention to the barely visible object with a slight turn of his head to get a better look. It seemed huddled, like a child of some sort, but there was no life force coming from it. A dead drunk. A trash bag perhaps. Kakuzu turned fully in the direction of the object and unhurrily made his way to it, his eyes trained on the unmoving lump on the side of the alley. He understood the nature of immortality and was far too wise to pass anything up that may hold some value. No matter how unpromising the outcome would likely be. That was simply the trait of any good shinobi. Never leave any stone unturned.

He came to a stop next to it and gazed down at the huddled form. A girl. Kakuzu felt his stomach turn uncontrollably in his lower gut. The tips of his fingers ran cold and his feet felt light. No. It was the woman. His face remained impassive as he stared down at the mess of brown curls spread freely across the dirty ground. Her body still curled in on itself like a child under her blankets. Was she dead? Slowly, Kakuzu reached down and put his fingers to her neck, waiting for a pulse. She was cold. Very could. Nothing. He couldn't feel her pulse or her heart beat. His eyes narrowed into slits. Wasn't she immortal? Yes. Kakuzu drew the conclusions in his head. So this was how she'd done it. That was why she'd seemingly disappeared. Why they'd been unable to sense her. She had in all respects, suffered from a temporary state of death.

Kakuzu brought his fingers to the woman's face and lightly brushed some strains away from her closed eyes. Her skin was pleasantly soft and cool against his callused skin. Kakuzu felt his eyes soften from his glower just the tiniest bit. Like a sleeping child. Bad thought. Kakuzu felt the rigiding of his spine and tensing of his muscles. Very bad thought. He snatched his fingers back from her cheek and turned his head away from the girl's small form. He grunted softly to clear the dryness from his throat. Could this really be the woman who'd brought Hidan's reputation to near ruin? His eyes slowly returned to her huddled form, scanning over the innocently normal looking face before him. She looked so young. So sweet. So...thin.

Kakuzu noticed it then. She was very thin. He had heard rumor from Deidara and some ranting from Hidan about the girl's size, but this wasn't what he'd been anticipating. Petit was what he'd been expecting. Small build and light structure. Not thin though. He never thought of her as being undernourished. Hidan defiantly needed to be more clear in his assessments of their targets. Kakuzu squatted down next to her motionless form and gave her one more good look over. Didn't matter though. Kakuzu slipped his hands under the woman's curled body and lifted her into his arms bridle style. He had a mission to complete, and whether or not this girl was healthy. He had no obligation to. All he wanted was to finish this mission as soon as possible so that he could continue his bounty hunting. He turned towards the direction of base and began a slow sprint towards it. Mission accomplished.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Kiki's been...been...It's just too much for me at the moment. After all this time, 14 chapters, Kiki has finally been captured. By Kakuzu of all the Akatsuki members I could have chosen no less. So what'd you think? Nice twist yes? Please review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**TykiMickLover: Yayz! I love tricks, even if I'm the one being tricked. Plus, it's almost Halloween time. 500 points for you!!!**

**Getting back on track. Yes, Kiki has been captured. It is truly a time of great grief, for me anyway, but not an all unpleasant turn of events for reader's sakes. :)**

**Wooden Skies: Kiki may owe you cookies, many, many cookies, but you may not get them because I have full custody over them all. Oh yeah, I'm so wicked like that. B)**

**About the demon, I can't tell you, sorry. But I can tell you that he will _eventually_ make his presence once again known. X)**

**Elisa-of-the-Flames: Thank you, thank you!!! I will be sure to continue on with the Hidan torment since it is indeed very funny to write and read. I'd actually been waiting for five chapters to write that one scene. LOL!!!**

**rushninja: No weapons of mass torment? You are too kind to me, seriously. I'd give you a cookie, but the Oreo bag won't fit into the computer's speaker holes. Sorry. I also have to agree with you. Living life without being able to feel pain must be rough, and my heart goes out to all those who can't feel such things. As for the hole...if you didn't get it in the last chapter, this one will clear it up. No worries. ;)**

**Orika00: I Know! Hidan should have been the one to catch her. Bad Googala2, BAD!!! Not letting Hidan catch Kiki. How could you? No wait..._I'm_ the little snot behind the scandalizing deed. Bwha, ha, ha, ha!!! Fear me...**

**Anyhow, like my sense of humor, life can be a real unpredictable bitch sometimes. LOL!!! And I want to make this story as unpredictable as possible. Hope you can forgive me. ^.^'**

**Author's Note: Kiki's now in the hands of the Akatsuki. It is all so horrible. For me anyway, but at least now I can get down to some serious writing. Unfortunately, given her situation with the demon, Kiki is very possibly...screwed. LOL!!!

* * *

**

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 15: Within the Darken Cave**

Deidara sat on the jagged edge of a high raising cliff towering over the wooded swamp lands of the Rain country, looking out over the dimly lit village with one vigilant blue eye. The blue orb glittered and shone brightly as the moonlight cast great rays of light behind his darkened silhouette, setting his hair aglow with beautiful locks of moonlight bathed gold. He really was beautiful. He caught sight of dim white flashes flittering quickly through the forest's shadows, elegantly weaving through the mess of fallen trees and branch hanging swamp weeds. Hurrying back to the leader as always, Deidara sneered lightly at the thought before letting a pouty frown replace it. Why was he stuck on watch? Deidara felt the irritated twitch of his brow begin as he crossed his arms and legs before him and sulkingly watched the fluttering origami paper disappear into the rock cliff far below him. Why'd he always get the dumbest jobs anyway? It was insulting.

The blonde ninja reached into his back pocket pouch with lazy ease and pulled out a small clump of rather smoothly rounded clay. What to make now, the young shinobi silently pondered to himself. Deidara looked at the piece of material forlornly as he began to farther smoothen out the slightly rigid edges with his thumb. Stupid leader, giving him all the boring jobs. Why had he been called back to base and not Kakuzu anyway? Deidara cast a glance over his shoulder and let a disgusted frown cross over his now light bathed features while he glared accusingly at the many small clay sculptures lining the plentiful space behind him. Regrettably uncompleted in their purpose and physical proof of his growing boredom. Damn leader. Wouldn't even let him make art while he was stranded up on the pathetic piece of rock the Akatsuki were currently calling 'Head Quarters'. It was unbelievably depressing for the young bomber ninja to be curt.

A vision of dark brown curls entered the young bomber's memory as a sly smile slid over his lips like a knife cut. At least he could still laugh at Hidan for letting that woman make a fool of him. A pleasant warmth bubbled up in his chest before it came out as a strained snort laugh. Priceless. The humiliation Hidan had been faced with from the backfiring of his own stupidity was beyond anything he could have ever imagined. That woman was something else. Deidara breathed out a heavy huff of withheld breath to regain some control of his bodily reactions to the visual of Hidan on his hands and knees grazing like a dairy cow. This action of release helped calm his overly suppressed laughter and forced his trembling of poorly contained mirth to a gradual stop. The woman was good for a laugh, that was for sure.

The tiniest sound of early colored leaves blowing incongruously by the mud incased trunks of swampish trees. There had been no wind in the area. This put the young shinobi on full alert. Deidara's eye immediately tracked the sound to a small patch of thickly bunched trees to the left of his position, some distance from the base entrance. The slight flicker of movement within the far off shadows caught Deidara's eye. Someone was definitely down there. Slowly, taking great care not to make a sound, the young bomber stood to his feet with an elegant flow and squatted lowly upon the cliff edge. Finally, some entertainment. In one graceful movement, he jumped from the high ledge and swiftly air timed into the still tree tops below. Not once ruffling a single leaf from its resting place. Truly an act of superior shinobi skill.

Swift as sound and silent as a shadow, Deidara leaped from tree top to tree top scanning the forest floor below. The air rushed up to greet him in earnest, causing his hair to pull back over his slim but covered shoulders. Catching the high wind and flapping wildly in the breeze. Where was he? Deidara's eyes slimmed in concentration. Vigilant for any signs that signaled his target was near. Judging by the stealth and positioning of the unknown intruder, the person was obviously highly skilled shinobi intent on entering the base undetected, the young bomber concluded with a small frown. The usual. He gave his thin shoulders a small shrug at the indication, even though no one could see it from what he sensed. Perhaps this wouldn't be entertaining after all. He should have figured as much. The Akatsuki wasn't as exciting as he'd hoped it'd be.

Without warning, a blur of black and white heading dead-on towards the Akatsuki base, dashed out unexpectedly from the covers of the blinding shadows and near collided with the young bomber ninja. Luckily for Deidara, with his quick reflexes at full capacity, he was able to hook his left foot into a small branch nook and swerve his agile body out of the way just as the oncoming person was about to bash head-on into him. Deidara reached out his hand expertly as he was flung widely through the air and grabbed hold of a sturdy branch. His legs swung around on him and landed neatly on the trunk of the tree he was latched onto, his body instinctively pin pointing chakra to the soles of his feet for grip. That had been unexpected, Deidara thought to himself as he turned his gaze onto the unknown. The basterd. Trying to...

Deidara's visible blue eye widened a bit at the sudden sight presented to him as he side glanced to the person he had been tracking, before a wickedly sly smile creped ominously onto his moonlight kissed face, a demonically sinister aura beginning to wrap around his form like a cloak. "...You..."

* * *

Zetsu waited in strained silence within the ever present shadows of the Akatsuki base, though he took great care in hiding his unnerving anxiety from their virulent leader, Pein. This in itself was usually not so hard for the plant ninja. It never had been to be honest. Not in the past. But this time, it was different. It was harder for him this time. Even if his leader wasn't even in the room in which he was occupying. It was difficult for him not to let off any specific vibes their leader could pick up on. As he remained fully merged into the rocky walls, he blocked out a great portion of the gloomy atmosphere the wide cave held captive within its walls like a wild beast bound to its cage. He could not stop thinking about the woman. Worry. It was eating away at him mercilessly. The starved beast within the cave released upon him. Something he had been growing alarmingly familiar with since he'd first met the young woman face to face three days ago. That in itself was a frightening thought.

On top of that, the woman had been captured. By Kakuzu no less. One of the infamous Zombie twins. Known far and wide for their unrivaled ruthlessness and cruelty on the battle field. A distinct constriction made its way to Zetsu's lower stomach and chest, but he settled it by soothing his own taxed mind with more enlightening thoughts on the disheartening matter. At least she had been in a temporary state of death when the capture had occurred. Zetsu's tightened chest muscles loosened a bit, relieving the mounting pressure that had been residing there. So that meant she had not been in any pain when Kakuzu found her in the alleyway. It also meant she'd not put up a fight and therefore was not put under any stress or torment during her capture. Zetsu felt his body relax completely as these thoughts crossed his mind. At least she was _okay_. As far as Akatsuki standards go.

"**We are pathetic, are we not?**" Slight twitch of the brow.

"Perhaps so." Lowering eyes internally.

"**Not necessarily, but **_**we are**_** not what we once were."**

"Than what _are we_ now?" Internally raises eyebrow in question.

Inner frown. "**We have allowed ourselves to become completely loyal to this woman.**"

"A woman who is not our leader." Pulling eyebrows together.

"**Yes...and...**"

"..And we are allowing ourselves to fall deeper in love with her every day."

"**......Yes.**"

"Perhaps as even more than a friend." Pulls eyebrows together softly.

"**A dangerous thought indeed."** Hooding eyes slowly.

"But true nonetheless." Light frown.

"**......Indeed.**" Tightening lips into a thin line.

"We can't deny it, can we?"

"**No...So we should stop trying I suppose.**" Shaking head in helplessness.

"......" Lowering eyes slowly.

"**But we never could to begin with, could we?**" Closing eyes in hopelessness.

Weak smile. "...True...and we never will."

"**So that is what **_**we are**_** now."** Reopening eyes.

"_We are_ in love with her."

Completely impassive. "_**We are**_** in love with the woman with no name.**"

Zetsu was cut short from his own inner conversation with himself by the sounds of two separate voices entering the Akatsuki base's hallow halls. Deep and masculine. Defined as a true mature male. Deidara. Zetsu knew not only by the deepness of the voice, but by the lightness in the young bomb ninja's hastened stride as he was obviously dashing towards the base's main chamber. Hidan was with him as well, judging by the thundering vibrations of Hidan's pounding feet on the stone flooring behind Deidara's. It sounded like Hidan was trying to chase down Deidara. The Jashin follower was obviously pissed off at Deidara for something. The sound of Hidan's screaming and Deidara's taunting laughter told the story all too clearly. But why was Hidan so angry with the younger shinobi was the question that entered Zetsu's mind.

A flash of midnight black and sun touched gold entered the dimly lit main chamber. "Surely you have been better days, yeah." Deidara cried out in uncontained mirth as he stopped abruptly at the entrance tunnel to the main center complex and turned a heel in one swift twirl with a sly grin to face Hidan's rapidly approaching form. "Hail thy lord; here he comes in all his glory!" Deidara was going into completely ballistic howls of laughter.

Hidan burst into the wide cave chamber. Loud in his voice and blind to who was present or not present. Fueled by his anger. His pale face and the tips of his ears flushed red in uncontrolled rage as he huffed one heavy breath after the other. His shoulders falling and raising with each breath that passed through his clenched teeth. Despite the Jashin follower's anger though, Zetsu saw it. The griminess of his clothing still stained visibly in the dim candle light. The moister still trapped within the fabrics of his cloak. But most notably, the smell. Zetsu almost winced at it. Horrible. Overbearing. Disgusting. It was something Zetsu had hoped he'd never have to smell so strongly. Raw reeking sewage. It sent a shiver down the plant ninja's spine. No one could see him though. No one other then their leader knew he was within the cave. Hidden so perfectly with in the cave wall as he was.

"You fucken transvestite..." Hidan's near violet toned eyes were twitching rhythmically in rage, his hand reaching back to grab hold of the four bladed scythe strapped to his back so that he chop that little bomber punk's head right off his scrawny shoulders, until a soft voice from the shadows stopped him just as his finger tips began to lightly touch the at the smooth handle.

Hidan turned his blood thirsty stare towards the sound of the voice. "Restraint Hidan." It was Konan from the far end of the cave, and given that she was the _only_ woman within the Akatsuki, it was hard to mistake her musically light and feminine voice for anyone other then she herself within these walls. "Make yourself decent." Konan's shadowed figure at the far end of the cave was largely hidden from eye's view, only her shadowed outline could be made out in the hardened darkness.

Hidan sneered at Konan's words with his dry lips pulled back slightly and his eyes began to narrow slowly at the barely visible woman at the other end of the base's main chamber. "What makes you think I'd do anything you fucken say bitch?" Hidan growled defiantly at her while he continued to stare her down when her silhouette didn't move an inch, though Deidara just snorted at the Jashin follower earning a death glare from the ruffles zealot as well.

At Hidan's glowering gaze, Deidara let a more composed smirk cross his face, a taunting gesture towards the elder Akatsuki member. "So you are fully in your element now, yeah." Deidara mocked the Jashin follower heatedly as he indicated to what remained of the sewage that had once completely covered Hidan's lower half with an over exaggerated sweep of his hand.

Blurs of black, silver, and blonde dashed throughout the tall roofed cave of the base's main meeting area. The dim lights of weapon on weapon combat flashed in all areas of the cavern at once. Only slightly visible in the dimness of the candle lit chamber. Hidan and Deidara were finally battling it out it seemed. Konan ignored them. It was a foolish waste of chakra anyway. Instead, she heavily concentrated on who else had just entered the lair. Konan heard the gentle sounds of soft foot steps meeting the stone halls of the Head Quarter's entrance. She blocked out the sounds of Hidan's and Deidara's battle as best she could. Kakuzu? She couldn't get an exact pinpoint or description of his status though. Hidan's screaming and the small explosions of Deidara's art of war were disrupting her senses, drawing her attention instinctively towards the possible threat. The battle. She turned a light glare on them, unseen by the two dueling men mere yards from her still form. They were so luckily this was only a _temporary_ resting area.

* * *

Kakuzu glanced around the cave entrance. His bright green eyes did not need much adjustment in the gloomy shadows due to the already ensued darkness outside. He was still wary though. As any good shinobi would be. The sound of fighting was reverberating off the sides of the cave. He could feel the vibrations of feet pounding against stone walls while the distinctive rings of weapons clashing against one another floated stilly in the damp air. He looked down to the young woman in his arms briefly, looking deeply into her peacefully still face. A face not worn from battle or age. Kakuzu couldn't help but wonder how old she truly was. She looked around 21. Maybe even younger. Kakuzu knew appearances could be deceiving though. Immortality was a tricky thing to understand and decipher. You only need to look at Hidan to realize that.

Kakuzu's eyes gazed at the young woman's closed eyes. Light rings of black were barely visible on the under lids of her eye lids. She'd been exhausted. In fact, Kakuzu frowned a bit, that had been the reason for her death. On closer inspection, Kakuzu had come to the conclusion that her muscles had finally given out, and her over worked internal organs had simply stopped functioning all together. What a way to die. Also apparent, Kakuzu had also realized, was that her lack of food consumption had greatly diminished what little energy she must have had. In other words, she had been burning the proteins in her own muscles trying to continue her fleeing from the Akatsuki's pursuit. Without a regular source of energy intake. That had been the only source of buyable energy that her body was receiving. Eating yourself alive. That didn't seem so pleasant a way to die. Even to the ears.

"Kakuzu" A voice can from the far shadows within the poorly lit halls of the Akatsuki base, light and tranquil it had been to the ears, but still tainted by a darker presence that made the spine go rigid to attention and the very blood in your veins run cold. "Bring the girl to me." It floated though the air like a knife, but never broke the delicate skin when it hit you full force like chill in the night.

Kakuzu immediately took a sharp turn to the right. Calm and composed. Even if it was a hall with no doors and no turns. Still he marched right up to the barrier before him, walking straight _though_ a stone wall. Solid stone of the highest density. Hard. Unmovable. A genjutsu of unbelievable complexity. Not even the most skilled of ninja would have realized the hidden entrance to the Akatsuki leader's private room. Unless Pein himself had allowed it to be so. Kakuzu felt his skin grow cold in the dark world to which he had walked into. An effect of the genjutsu. This act of allowing another into the deepest and most protected part of the lair, another who was not even Akatsuki, was in itself a rare occurrence. Perhaps this showed just how valuable the young woman really was to the Akatsuki's ambition. The Leader, Pein, was always been known for his mysterious ways. His secretive motives and his hidden identity. Many of the other Akatsuki had realized this fairly quickly. Kakuzu himself had realized this the day they'd first meet.

Kakuzu continued onward towards the place to which he had been summoned. Through the vast darkness that plagued at the heart with its endless sight. Through the cold of bitter frost that bit at his darkly tanned skin without warning. His feet never wavered and his arms never shook. The young woman on the other hand. Kakuzu felt it then. The early beginnings of a pulse. Weak, but steady. Then a heart beat. Soft and lacking rhythm. Kakuzu looked down at the woman's relaxed face, but never stopped moving forward. Her breathing had returned to her, and he could see the beginnings of sleep starting to pull at her eyes and lips. From death to slumber. Kakuzu raised an eyebrow at the irony of such a thing. Most would say that it was slumber to death. Her body must still be resting. Kakuzu knew this, but it was still a strange feeling. Having someone come to life in your arms. Like they're being reborn right before your eyes. Something Kakuzu had no experience with. Something, he couldn't describe.

Something pushing firmly into his chest. Warm and soft, but firm. Kakuzu's eyes immediately darted down to the woman's form. A kunai already in hand to attack the young woman should she be offensive in her actions. The sight he got though. He had not been expecting. Curled brown hair in a tangled mess around her lightly flushed face. Her facial features pulled into an innocent expression of discomfort. Her hands were pulling weakly at the front of his cloak and her fingers lightly grasping at the fabric beneath them. She was sleeping. Pulling herself closer to his body. Closer to his warmth. Kakuzu felt his eyes widen in shock at the actions. Never before, from what he could ever recall, had someone touched him in such a gentle caress. He wanted to pull away from her. To drop her. But he wouldn't dare awaken her in this place. To do so could, and very possible would, cast her into the very shadows of this realm forever.

Her lips tightened into a thin, displeased line as Kakuzu slowly eased her away from the warmth of his own body. Even in her sleep, she knew what she wanted it seemed. Her near angered expression, even in sleep, told that story. The skin on the back of Kakuzu's neck and on his lower back had gone ice cold. She was too gentle. Far too gentle. Kakuzu could feel the tensing of his shoulders. It was foreign to him. This tenderness. It made him squirm under her touch. He needed pain. To feel the agony when his body met the blow of an enemy's attack. That was what he was used to. That was what he knew. Had always known. That was how he lived. This woman though. Her touch was too soft on his weather roughened skin. Her hands too weak on his hard toned body. Her fingers too light in their grasp when she pulled at his cloak. This was not a ninja. Kakuzu stared down to the young woman, trying to remain calm under the feel of her tenderly weak attempts at grasping his cloak. She was not a ninja, and yet...Kakuzu's lips tightened into a thin line. The realization hit his full force. Perhaps _he_ had been the one who underestimated her _cunning_.

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**Author's note**

**Sorry if this chapter's kind of boring. I hope you like it though, because I did. I don't know why, but I just found that despite the lack of **_**WOW**_** and **_**Scandalous Humor **_**in this chapter, it still made me smile. Please review...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Kiyoki Fujimoto97: Oh, you're good. You figured out that it would either be Kakuzu or Itachi who would catch Kiki. Truly, I must amend you on a job well done. To be 100% truthful, I didn't even know who was going to catch her until I had started that chapter...and even then _I was shocked when I found out it was Kakuzu_. Ku, ku, ku...Sometimes I wonder where my sanity has gone to. O_O?**

**Anyway, a very lovely and, dear it be said, unique review. I'd never heard of a sue, Mary Sue, conan-sue, or Anti-sue before your review, and had to have my friend explain it to me. I must say I'm flattered by your complement and it fills me with a sense of accomplishment to know my story isn't a 'Mary-Sue' cut out. Thank you. ^_^**

**mistress akasha: Thank you so much!!! I do try very hard to make my chapters as entertaining to read as possible and it makes me feel accomplished when people tell me that I've done a great job. But other than that...YOU AREN'T GETTING THOSE COOKIES CUZ I ATE THEM ALL!!! BWHA, HA, HA, HA, HA!!! XD**

**Elisa-of-the-Flames: Kiki really does seem to be a little heart grabber doesn't she? It's actually kind of funny to think about, because not only has she not been trying to gain their affections, but she hasn't uttered a single word the WHOLE time. _She must be the strong silent type_. LOL!!! :D**

**rushninja: Very insightful prediction. Perhaps Kiki will grab all the Akatsuki's hearts, or maybe not. Who really knows? I don't even know. I'm just making this story up as I go and plugging in the Akatsuki's reactions to her as I think they actually would if they were to really meet her. No fairytale 'love at first sight' stuff...Maybe Kiki's just naturally lovable that way? Hard to tell. :)**

**Orika00: What!? Why won't you fear me? I am so scary!!! I am...THE COOKIE MONSTER!!! RAWRzzzz!!! Anyway, besides my all mighty scariness, I have to agree with you about Zetsu. As my avatar suggests I am one of those semi-rare, but still existent, Zetsu fans. Some might call it a sin in the fan girl realm to think fondly of a cannibalistic plant-dude, but hey, I think it's revolutionary. Even Zetsu came have his tender _sides_ when given the right people to interact with. ^.^**

**Or maybe I'm just weird, because I seem to be a fan of many of the unpopular Naruto characters. 6_6'**

**TykiMickLover: Thank you so much for the support. I know I probably say this all the time, but I CANNOT stress how rewarding it is for any writer to be informed that their work is appreciated. Because in the end, creating a story that touches or inspires another, makes all the finger cramps, and in a few rare cases blood, worth while. ^.^**

**Ihtayt: IT BLEW YOU OUT OF THE WATER!!! I haven't even set foot in the deep end yet and people are already popping out like cats thrown into the tub! Is it really that terrifying to read or is the water really that cold? No, no. I kid.**

**So, my humorless joke aside, a splendid review indeed. It has warmed my heart dearly and made me smile. I also must thank you for reassuring me that I have completed the goal I set out to accomplish with my stories. 'Create a piece of literature that hasn't been done before.' 8)**

**NarutoFan12: There are three of you at once! Wow... How do I approach this one? I know. I'll have this one split into four paragraphs.**

**To NF12: Yes. No one knows just what will or could happen if her demon is indeed released. But that is why it is so hard to bare the waiting. Right? Ku, ku, ku...8D**

**To Sora: Good question...and though she is mute I am indeed thinking about _something_ close to that idea. Hint, hint...^.^**

**To Dara: You never know...she could acquire a voice, or something akey to it. Unpredictability is a fact of life. So only time will tell, and I like time. B)**

**Author's Note: Okay. Kiki is now captured and she is going to met the leader. I wonder what's going to happen now. Well, lets find out shall we.

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 16: Inspection and Evaluation  
**

Pein. The Akatsuki's _leader_. The Kage of the Hidden Rain village. Revered as a true God to his people. A shinobi of unimaginable strength, but also a man. He, in all his glory, could only wait patiently within the haunting shadows of his meeting chamber. Awaiting for that woman to be brought to him. The woman who had been the center of the Akatsuki's attention for a week now. The very woman who had evaded capture by his subordinates 4 times. First she had escaped Kakuzu and Hidan in the land of Harvests. Then she had eluded the whole of the Akatsuki in the forests of the Fire nation. After that, she had managed to farther postpone her capture in the lands of the Hidden village of Grass. Most aggravating though, she had vanished from their sights in the forest of his _own_ nation. Truly a grave thought on which to dwell.

His posture was dead still and perfectly straight within the dark confines of the small chamber in which he was waiting so silently. His whole body seeming emerged into the inky blackness. Sinister and looming. With a presence of overbearing power that sent a shiver down the spine and cold chills to the finger tips. All, but his face. The reddish tinted light from a lone candle before him glowing warmly over his impassive features despite the bleakness of the world around it. Setting his cold face aglow with a soft radiant crimson. Highlighting his unruly hair to a blood rose red and provoking the dullest shines of light from the many piercings adorning his visible features. Truly a haunting sight. One based within the very fabrics of the mind to that of fear and beauty. A God to the eyes of mortals.

Kakuzu's incredibly dense chakra signature reached Pein's senses from the deepest darkness of the room. His darkened ringed eyes barely even flickered within the weak candle light to watch his subordinate enter his chamber. Pein's face was emotionless. Unfeeling and firm. A perfect mirror of nothingness but dominance and authority. Commanding. Controlling. His presence alone demanded respect from those around him, and from the straightening of Kakuzu's back, the older shinobi was no exception to this. In truth. Pein knew what his power did to even the mightiest of ninja. How could he not? But still. For some reason. Pein got the distinctive feeling that it was not necessarily just him who had Kakuzu on edge. For even if he was great, Kakuzu had never been one to give into intimidation so easily. Pein felt suspicion enter his mind, though he let none of it show. Could Kakuzu's discomfort truly be the work of this woman? Even when she was not even conscious?

No words were spoken between the two men. None were needed. Pein and Kakuzu understood each other well enough to know what was to be done. Kakuzu began to move in accordance to this understanding. Pein watched Kakuzu closely from the corner of his ringed eye while the older ninja walked steadily to the empty table to the right of the room. Looking for tail-tail signs of weakness. There were few. Closer to none if anything. But his keen instincts still told him a different story. A very different story of weakness and volubility. As does the killer instincts of any good predator seeking its prey. An apex predator on the haunt. Kakuzu placed the young woman onto the stone bed like platform carefully. She snored lightly and cringed a little at the coldness of the stone that had come in contact with her near exposed neck. Replacing the warmth of the body that had been carrying her. Kakuzu released her and turned to leave. But then...

The sleeping woman grabbed onto his lower arm, as he was about to remove himself from the table, and brought it to her chest firmly. Hugging his well defined toned and muscled arm to her smaller form like a child would a stuffed ammonal or beloved doll. Kakuzu visible flinched at the contact but did not pull away. Nor did he attack. He merely stood there, looking down at the young woman with an impassive mask. The light blush or rosy red was back on her cheeks and the soft snoring once again started up. She tightened her hold on Kakuzu's arm protectively. Kakuzu kept a deceivingly calm air about him as these events took effect, but Pein knew otherwise. So that was it then. Pein pondered silently to himself, shooting Kakuzu a quick glance. This woman was indeed the source of Kakuzu's discomfort.

Kakuzu felt Pein's intense stare on his unguarded back and knew all too well that lingering in this place for so long was not the best of ideas. Especially considering the circumstances he was now in. The outcome would be potentially deadly. The woman loosened her grip lightly and Kakuzu immediately took the opportunity to ease his arm free from the woman's weakly grasp. Being considerably careful not to wake her from her slumber. There would possibly be trouble should that happen. And Kakuzu did not want to be the one to rock the boat first. Most reasonability not when he was in the presence of a much more powerful shinobi as Pein was. That would be near suicide, and Kakuzu had no true desire to die yet. He offered his leader a slight bow of something akey to respect and immediately left the room. Returning to the darkened realm in which he had taken to enter his leader's lair. His gateway to freedom per say.

Pein had watched Kakuzu leave. He had known why Kakuzu had left as well. At the moment though. His full attention was trained solely on the sleeping woman to the right of where he stood, watching her unconscious form carefully for any signs of weakness as he had to Kakuzu. But he immediately stopped his searching of her vulnerabilities. When it became painstakingly apparent to him that even _he_ probably couldn't count them _all_. He let the slightest indication of vexation cross over his usually impassive face. This was the woman who had given the Akatsuki so much trouble the last week? He took a few steps over to her near motionless body, having assessed that she was in no way a threat to him. Impossible...but not impossible. His eyes scanned her face carefully, looking for any sign of potential danger. For though she was obviously powerless against him, he was still a shinobi. And shinobi must never underestimate their opponents. Active or not.

She was deep in sleep. Much too deep in her slumber for her to be simply casually resting. It would not be so easy to awaken her he noted to himself. Even if someone were to attempt it, it would require a certain amount of effort. Though he being a ninja of great ability, knew if he really wanted to. This woman would be awake in no time. But that was not what he wanted. Was it? Pein took her wrist between his fingers lightly, feeling for her pulse. It was slow. Weakly. But still steady. So she was in a state of server existing. He could tell that her energy levels were unnaturally low as well. Lack of nutrition in alignment with days of intense physical activity must have finally broken her body down and caused her systems to completely shut down. Meaning she had died. But she being immortal, had come back after her death. He noted and confirmed this knowledge from noticing the sunken in details of her face, and the frail thin appearance of her limbs. She was more like a bag of skin and bones than a living person.

He placed her delicate wrist back onto the stone table gently and put two of his long fingers to her chest lightly, checking for the basic condition of her heart. It was mostly normal, though a bit sluggish from fatigue. Still not at full capacity after her resend death experience. Pein removed his fingers from their place above her heart and stood over the young woman in silence. Looking for any signs of amorality. He found none. Curious that she would indeed be so plain. As Zetsu had described her. Yet inside, she was truly one of a kind. His face remained painstakingly blank as he reached for the peacefully unaware woman's face. His fingers resting softly on the tops of her eyelids. Searching for an answer. An answer to the question none of his subordinates had been able to answer him thus far. Did she process a blood line limit? His fingers began to glow a light blue, pouring microscopic amounts of chakra delicately into the lids of her eyes. The chakra soaking into the deepest fibers within them. But what he found...he had not expected.

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The darkened halls were quiet and still as the lifeless stone walls that made them. They echoed neither their sorrows nor the steady foot steps of others within their stony tomb. Not even the sound of gentle breathing could be heard in the dim morning peace. Truly a lifeless void. The coldness of the early morning's chilling air was crisp but refreshing with the tantalizing bite of bitter icy sting. It tickled at the skin with icy fingers, luring the living into its cool embrace. Then it ensnared them and pinched at their flesh with sharpened nails dosed in venomous poisons. Truly a daunting mistress the early winter morning was. It was nearly winter many would say. When in reality, winter would be coming early. A hard concept to gasp when one does not understand such occurrences. For this occurrence in itself is rare within the land of rain and sleet.

Soft brown eyes slowly peered open to the world before them. Hazy and unfocused. Still heavily laced with sleep and exhaustion. Where was she? Had she camped out in a cave and forgot over night? She couldn't seem to recall. Her mind was slow at the moment, begging her to return to the calling darkness of lazy lumber. The world about her was blurry and of the darkest gray. Like the blending of black and white paints. The cold too, she could only slightly feel it at her back and on her fingers. Something she instantly recognized as foreign. She was not use to this. This loss of cold on her body in the morning. What was wrong? The cold itself too was also strange to her. It was far harsher than she had ever recalled it being before. Like a beast trapped within the confines of a cage. It vexed her. What couldn't she remember?

Her arms began to stir lightly. Looking for that which she did not know, but felt the need to find out. Only to find they were constricted from movement. By a slightly stretchy material. Her finger tips grazed against a fabric in which she had never felt before. She realized also at that moment, the softness of the ground beneath her. That was not hers! She immediately felt her body jolt into full alert. Awake and booming with the newly found energy of fear. Unfortunately, her arms and chest were wrapped firmly in the cloth about her and she tripped up in it as she tried to bolt out of the thing she was on. Unable to catch herself she fell face first back to the softness below her. A bed. An older bed from the look of it. Not even a whole bed, just the mattress. Kiki suddenly realized what this was. She was in the Akatsuki's base. Her whole body tensed immediately. How had it happened?

The memory came to her. Slowly at first, but then faster as her mind became more focused. The scary strong one. The one with the stitches. She remembered. She had not necessary seen him with her own eyes, but she had sensed him near from within her death like state. When she had been unable to react or move. She had still been able to sense him though. She felt a frown cross her lips, but not in anger or disgust of the man who had captured her. It was a frown that signified a sense of distaste in herself. For having died. For not holding on a bit longer. For being captured. There was also something else. She had felt another presence. One that was much stronger than the stitched one. And much more authorities from what she had sensed. Unfortunately, she must have been sleeping when he had made an appearance, because she couldn't remember anything else about the other person's presence. Other then that he had been powerful. So, so powerful.

She calmed herself down. Reminding herself that her demon was not yet released from his containment within the seal and that no one was in danger...yet. At that thought, her calmness became a deep hollowness within the farthest reaches of her expression. The light in her eyes dulling out to a solid brown surface. Empty of all emotion and seeming thought. The truth though. Was that she was thinking. Of everything she didn't want to be thinking about. Thoughts not even of the cruelty of her demon. It was before. Before she had even come to contain her demon. Her body began to tremble lightly. Her arms wrapping around herself to defend against the vicious cold. This place, this cold, this fear she felt. It was all too much of a reminder. Too familiar, even if it lacked...the lights.

White. Clean. Very clean. In her mind, Kiki could see the bright lights shining mercilessly in her eyes and the blurry outlines of tall looming figures hovering over her with dark beady eyes watching her so intently. Soulless. Faceless. Just looking down at her. Seeing how she'd react. Kiki's eyes her becoming sheeted over in moister. Her jaw aching with pain as she clutched her teeth together, trying to spot the quivering of her lip. The pain too. She could feel it again. See the thin line of crimson blood running down her arm in its slow sickly line. The barely visible smiles on the shadowy figures faces as they watch the blood stop flowing. The blurs were becoming even more distorted. In her memories, she knew the girl on the white, white table had looked over to the lone figure in the corner of the shining cold room. Had seen her then. There she was.

The tears were coming though Kiki's eyes now. Stinging at them like salt. She couldn't stop the first one that came. The woman was standing there in the lone corner. Arms crossed across her chest. A discussed frown on her blurry face. Her deep brown eyes slimmed at the black figures standing over the young girl. Anger. Mistrust. Rage. Kiki covered her eyes, hiding the tears threatening to fall. The woman's frown became a sneer as the shadowy figure above the girl began to turn to one another, their lips moving, but no words came. The girl could only watch, unsure of why. The girl on the table looked away from the woman, to look into the other direction. A man. He was frowning too. He also was glaring. But not at the shadowed figures. At her. Kiki felt her toes curl, trying to surpress the shuddering within her. The man watched the girl with contempt. Hatred.

The girl didn't understand why the man was angry though, not as Kiki did. The girl looked back to the lone woman with the brown eyes and the brown hair. The woman's glower turned towards the man. Dark and filled with unspeakable loathing. The woman's lower lip shaking in silent rage. The woman's face is becoming clearer now. The haze slowly lifting from the scene before Kiki's memory. Kiki removed her hands from her eyes, trying to steady her shaking shoulders as best she could. The woman was speaking now, but the girl didn't understand. Couldn't hear the words. The man too is speaking. Anger was in the room. So strong and so painful. The haze is almost gone now. Kiki can see her. The woman's face. So beautiful. The memory it fading now. Slowly. Too slowly. Kiki could feel pain. Oh God no. Don't go away! Mother!

The sound of a man screaming in sheer raging anger reached Kiki's ears. Completely obliterating the image within her mind. Her eyes widened at the realization of the voice being so loud. The Akatsuki were close. Much too close. She immediately began to wipe at the lone tear that had escaped her hands and swiftly cleaned away any evidence that might reveal she had indeed almost surcame to her own fit of tears. The pounding of feet on the stone halls she assumed was outside her door. Anger. Amusement. She felt both outside her door. Coming from two different people. The door to _her_ room swung open suddenly, and flash of black, red, and sun kissed yellow flowing into the room with a fluid grace. No sooner had the door opened, did it close. The other screaming person outside the door ran by. That one was defiantly a man. The rolling waves of anger flowing from him leaving as he himself began to move farther and farther from where Kiki was. Kiki felt her eyes widen as she looked at the back of the person in the room with her.

The person had their right ear pressed to the door, obviously listening for the man that had passed by in such a raging fit. A woman? Kiki questioned silently to herself, looking intently at the high pony tail that was flowing down the shoulders and midback of the person. The pony tail was also on top the her head. Strange. The woman turned around. Bright blue eyes seemed to notice Kiki silently staring for the first time. A man. Kiki realized as she and the man continued to stare at one another silently. Then the man smirked lightly. A charming smirk. Kiki remembered then. It was the bomber person that had chased her through the forest some time ago and then through the city place just recently. She gazed into his beautifully blue colored eyes unabashed. Curiosity starting to well up inside her. He was so pretty, Kiki noticed.

The blonde, knowing that you girl could do him no real harm, took a slow step towards her seated form, and though Kiki could tell it was not meant to be an offensive gesture, it still managed to put her on guard. "What's such an innocent looking girl doing here..." A glint of realization seemed to invade his one visible eye as he scanned over her face more thoroughly. "It's you, un." He stated more to himself then to Kiki, before letting a small smirk cross his lips. "So who was it? That Konan woman or did the leader go after you himself." He questioned lightly while he walked nonchalantly towards the woman, but Kiki backed up a bit when he sat right next to her. "Don't worry. I won't bite, yeah." Another charming smile.

Kiki looked deep into the man's gorgeous blue eyes and smiled a bit as he himself was. He didn't seem so bad. Not really. And she didn't sense that he was lying to her about not hurting her either. So why shouldn't she smile? He hadn't hurt her. Aside from blowing her up in those woods a few days back, but that was different. He raised an eyebrow at her, amusement vibrating from him like the gentle humming for honey bees. It seemed to sooth her. Settling down her slightly rigid posture. It made her feel safe. Or as safe as she could feel around him, since she didn't know much about this man. She let herself return to her original spot, before looking back up to the man. He was frowning a bit by now, annoyance taking the place of his amusement. Kiki knew why his emotions had changed the way they had though. It was because he thought she wasn't answering his question. Thought she was disrespecting him. She couldn't have him thinking that.

Kiki put her hand to her throat slowly and began to pat lightly in indication of her disability to speak, and understanding this, the blonde smirked, amusement restored. "Mute, yeah?" He was to the point of laughter now, and Kiki couldn't seem to understand what was so funny about her being mute. "Well welcome to the Akatsuki then." He gave her a small taunting smirk. "I must warn you to avoid dark hallways at all times and to lock your doors when you are and aren't within the room. You don't want any unwanted visitors, yeah." The blonde was smiling like a maniac as he said this, until he caught sight of the confused expression on the woman's innocent face that is. "Oh shit...you really are an innocent, un."

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**Author's Note**

**Kiki is finally starting to meet the Akatsuki on a one on one level. Man, if this keeps up, who knows what will happen. Oh no, will Kiki fall into tragedy? Will she be hurt by the other Akatsuki members? What will happen when she meets the others anyway? What did Pein find that was so unexpected about the woman? The possibilities are endless! So what do you think of Deidara's reaction towards Kiki?**

**Also, I am starting a new story that some of you might enjoy reading. It's called **_**'Wicked Hearts' **_**and from what my friends tell me, it may very well be better then this one. It's a Madara **_**romance**_**, if it can be called romance, story that I personally love. (I ****AM**** a Madara fan girl after all...)**

**Please review...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**mistress akasha: LOL!!! That's funny! 4 out of 5 on the funny charts for that one. Yes Deidara is being a perv, but not that bad of one. It's actually kind of cute in a chibi-ish way. #^.^#**

**Elisa-of-the-Flames: Wow! I thought this was one of my more boring chapters. Anyway, I agree with you that Kiki is a sweet woman, and yes, Deidara is a prev. LOL!!!**

**More importantly, I feel so indescribably honored that my writings were part of the inspirations you had to start a story of your own. It has defiantly made this story worth writing. No amount of praise from reviews can compare to what you have just told me. _Thank you with all my heart and support to you and your new story._ ^_^**

**rushninja: It is so, Zetsu is struggling with his emotions towards Kiki, and Deidara was undoubtedly very calm while meeting her...but that's just how I thought Deidara's reactions would be. With Kakuzu, he feels awkward about being so gently touched by another _living_ person, and with Pein, you'll have to continue reading to find out if he and Kiki ever make a connection. ;)**

**The Dragon Mage: Okay, I admit it. The chapter was rushed when it was spell checked, and some words were just said okay to when it showed up as a correction. Anyway, you know it wasn't me WHO spell checked it that day. _'No names said.'_ So you can't bite my head off just yet. :P**

**Orika00: Big brother DeiDei? I like that. Sounds like something I'd be thinking about, but then again...is that _really_ what their connection will be? No one knows at this point. Guess it all depends on circumstances at the time. ^.^**

**Wooden Skies: COOKIES!!! Never! Well...I'd give you some of mine, but my brothers ate the last of them a long time ago. *Tears* They were OREO cookies too. It saddens me to no end to know they are all gone. T_T

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**_MY LITTLE BROTHER'S NOTE_: HaHa I got to read it first and I already know how everything happens and you don't. **

**Me: That's not very nice, stop teasing them. Anyway, do you have anything you want to ask the audience?**

**MonkeyTodo: Yes, are people outside the US reading this story. Also, tell me if you like my sister's story.**

_**If you don't...I will hunt you down...I will find you...And I will............GIVE YOU THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!**_

**FYI, the Akatsuki are my favorite Naruto characters...as well as Naruto, Lee, Gai, The Pervy Sage, Hinata, Kakashi, Gaara, Shino, Shikamaru, the little yellow summoning toad...**

**Me: Think you have enough favorites, _MonkeyTodo_?**

**MonkeyTodo: No, but I guess it'll have to do for now.**

**Me: Okay. On to the story.**

**MonkeyTodo: No wait...**

**Me: Onward!!!

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**Author's Note: Kiki has unwittingly charmed Zetsu with her kindness, baffled him with her gentleness, and managed to wedge herself firmly into the depths of his heart. Zetsu's only one man though. So what will the other Akatsuki think of Kiki?

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 17: Eye to Eye**

Kiki tilted her head ever so slightly to the side and pushed her dry lips into a seemingly pouting expression that reminded Deidara all too much of a young child trying to convince their parents to buy them something they were told no to. Her large brown eyes were staring intently up into his eyes too, waiting for an explanation. Curious as to what this man, Deidara, was talking about. Was there some sort of _'bedtime'_, or curfew that the Akatsuki had to keep at their base? Weird. She had thought that all adults got to go the bed when they wanted. She lowered her face a bit and brought her fingers to her chin lightly to support her resting head. Allowing herself to become absorbed into her own thoughts of bedtimes and adults. Deidara merely raised an amused eyebrow at this, thoroughly entertained by that fact this woman was really and undoubtedly so innocent in such matters as widely understood as _sex_. More specifically, rape. Who didn't know about those kinds of jokes, other then those snot nosed academy students in the hidden villages? That was besides the point though. It was simply too much for the young shinobi to phantom as normal for someone of her age.

Not saying she was old. Of course not. Deidara gave her a quick look over while she was too distracted by her own thoughts to notice his inspecting gaze on her still form. She was relatively young to be perfectly honest. Perhaps somewhere between 18 or her early twenties. Still, a slight frown made its way to Deidara's lips unseen by the dazed off woman beside him, she was still older then he was. But by only a few years. So there wasn't that much of an age difference between them. At least he wouldn't have to worry about another old geezer running around the Akatsuki halls shirtless. He shivered at the thought. In the truth of the situation, Hidan was sagging from age or covered in disfiguring scars. It was just that, watching another man, a much older man at that, running around shirtless. Was kind of disturbing to the younger ninja. Who just so happened to dislike the Jashin priest. Maybe it was because Hidan was older then himself, but still had the same boyish charm he possessed. As well as a look of maturity about him that the blonde bomber shinobi did not. Jealousy. It was a very real possibility.

His visible blue eye skimmed over her entranced face at a leisurely set pace, memorizing the soft features of it with silent curiosity. She was also very small he renoted to himself. Not as in petit small though, but more of an overly skinny, almost to the point of sickly, small. Like she had been starving herself for some time prior to the Akatsuki setting their ambitious sights on her unique abilities of the healing arts. If rumor tells correctly, skills that surpassed all others. Even the Fifth Hokage of the leaf, Tsunade was it, wouldn't compare if the tales indeed held truth to them. While it was true the young bomber had known she had been indeed very skinny and malnourished in appearance when he'd been tracking her movements over the week they'd been in pursuit of her, seeing her so close up really allowed him to realize just how bad it was. It was kind of disheartening. But not enough to really move the young bomber too much. He had cut his heart off to the petty trials of life long ago...for the most part.

Deidara wondered to himself as he looked upon the woman before him. Was this really the woman they'd been after this whole time? She was so harmless, malnourished, and lacking any real ninja skills to speak of. Other than the healing arts. A frown softly touched at his lips. She didn't at all seem like a threat. Not the kind of person one would expect to find in Akatsuki. An organization comprised of S-class criminal deviants. The woman lifted her head from her fingers and looked him in the eye. Brilliant blue to soft brown. Inspecting to curious. His to hers. The soft brown tone of the woman's orbs were slightly darkened in the darkness of the room around them, but Deidara could still see it. The roundness of them. How bright they were as they looked up at him. From the dim flicker of the dim candle light above them, he could see the innocence within her eyes. It was so strange. So foreign. So unnerving, yet, so...addicting.

Looking into someone's eyes for the first time like this. Even as a young boy. Such a thing, he had never experienced so purely. So completely. Holding the unguarded gaze of another like this. To look into her eyes in such a way without...real purpose. Without...necessary caution. Without...constant worry. Without...the unrelenting fear. Just watching for the first time. To just hold her steady and inspecting gaze without a weapon at the ready. No traps set about the room. Relaxed. Calm. A comfortable silence that gave him a warm and indescribable feeling. Made him feel almost human again. To look her in the eye and to not tense when she moved, or move when she tensed. For the first time that he could recall. He just was. Together. They just were. This woman and he. Looking into the others eyes. Sitting on the lonely bed side by side. And there was no animosity between them. No tension within the room. No expectancy. No hurt. It felt...okay.

The blonde haired man suddenly bolted off the bed at break neck speed and took a basic defensive stance facing the door. Kiki stumbled back onto the semi-soft mattress below her, startled by the unexpected action of the young man. Had she done something wrong? A cold feeling swept through her. Then she felt the familiar ting of bloodlust. The door suddenly slammed open with an uncontained fury that farther caused Kiki to edge back. A tall man with slick white hair stood menacingly in the doorway, most his body cloaked in shadow. Anger. Unrelenting anger and bloodlust. So much bloodlust. An unrelenting thirst to kill. Kiki's eyes widened just the tiniest bit. She recognized the indications. The foul mouthed one. Her gaze turned to the blonde, who was in a more relaxed posture now. If anything, the blonde looked as if he were about to taunt the silver haired man.

Apparently, the silver haired one recognized this for he was about to start screaming more obscene profanities to the smirking blonde, until his blood thirsty eyes came to a screeching halt on the young woman huddled on the bed with her back to the wall. "The fuck is that?" His reddish pink eyes slimmed down at her still form, hidden within the far shadows of the open room, then his eyes widened in realization. "You..." The look on his face as he said this, sent shivers of icy chills down Kiki's spine. "Bitch." Kiki felt the malice that went into that one word, the unrelenting hatred, and in all honesty, it terrified her to know that he had so much loathing for her.

A moment of silence. The silver haired man suddenly had a demonic grin on his face, his eyes narrowing in on Kiki's still motionless form. He looked like a demon. A demon out for blood. Kiki felt her eyes widen at the sight. The silver haired man suddenly began to reach for the weapon behind his back. His scythe. Kiki felt the sweat gathering in the palms of her hands as she watched his grin grow even wider. Panic. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Her heart began to race within her constricting chest. She could hear it beating in her head, pounding against her skull. The man pulled the weapon from its holder with one mighty tug and easily settled into an aggressive stance. Readying his weapon for an attack. The same grin spread wide across his shadowed face. Kiki felt the coldness. The chills. The adrenaline in her veins. Help. The man took a step closer, his sharp eyes never straying from her face. Oh God Help. The sinister grin became wider as she tried, and failed, to put more distance between them. Like a cornered animal whose escape route was blocked by its predator. Her heart was beating so hard it hurt. Help!

The blood thirsty man lunged himself at her at full speed. His finely edged scythe blades bared above his head, coming right at her for a strike. Kiki instinctively tried to cover her head from the coming blow. Her hands flying up to cover her face as a child waiting to be beaten by their angered parent. She braced for the impact. For the pain. To be cast into a world of darkness. But...the blow...never came. The first thing she noticed when she came back to her racing senses. The pressure around her waist. The feel of cold air against her skin, and frigid winds blowing though her hair. Also, she wasn't on the mattress anymore. No. She was hovering off the ground. And the ground was moving beneath her _unmoving_ body. She noticed too, the foreign warmth pressed firmly against her side. The feel of hard muscles working beneath her body. Slowly. Very slowly. She looked up. Her deep brown eyes gazing up to the person carrying her within their grasp. The bomber man. Deidara?

Kiki watched him with wide eyes. His golden hair was flowing fluidly in the breeze, covering a good potion of his beautiful face as it whipped wildly about his narrow shoulders. A smirk was on his expression as well. Even in the darkness of the world around them, she could see it. The faint curl of his lips. The light shining sinfully off the smooth skin. His eyes too were shining with an all too distinctive wild edge. A sharp, intense blue in the flickering candle light that shone briefly over his face until passed back into shadow. Only to be relit by yet another passing ray of candle light. Her heart seemed to be straining with each beat it took, but she didn't know why her chest was so tight. Was she suffering from after freight? She didn't know. Then the feeling came to her. The feel of his firm hand on her waist. His strong muscles working beneath her near limp form. The warmth of him being so close to her. Such power. Such presence. Such a sense of...safety.

It hurt. So badly. But not as in physical pain. No. It was a hurt that was happening from deep within herself. Within the farthest corners of her being. From within her very soul. This sense of fleshly warmth against her icy skin. The comfort of being held by another so closely. This feeling of security welling up from her chest, flooding her body with an uplifting sensation that mimicked weightlessness. It was all so unfamiliar to her. Yet, it was all she'd ever wanted. All she'd ever longed for as a young child for so many years. Hopelessly lost and so very alone in the world in which she was so cruelly rejected and ignored. Now, as an adult, she was finally getting it. The feeling of safety. Even if only briefly. Still, his stability, his strength, and his mere presence radiating off him like passionate starlight in the cool night of winter. That was enough to spark the trigger within her. The fanning of her long suppressed flame.

Then the voice came from the depth of the halls many shadows, loud and clear within the dark abyss in which she and the blonde where so rapidly leaving in their wake. "Deidara you fucken transvestite! Get your ass over here and give me that little cunt!" Kiki flinched very visibly at the harsh sounds of such vulgar language being directed at the man carrying her, but she looked up at the young bomber with worried orbs when she felt the sensation of amusement rolling off the blonde like ocean waves washing gentle against the sandy beach.

The Deidara turned his head to face the rampaging Jashinist priest charging at him and simultaneously hoisted the much startled Kiki into a more comfortable bridal position within his arms, a taunting smirk across his face as he stared back at the older man. "What's wrong Hidan, un?" A glint of mischievous intent shone brightly in the younger shinobi's eyes and Kiki could see it all too clearly. "Are you jealous that it get to _touch_ her first?" Kiki would have stiffened to the liking of a board at that highly suggestive comment given that she wasn't _that_ clueless on such matters, as he said this though, she could not sense even the smallest trace of lust within him.

Deidara made a sudden, but nonetheless, graceful swerve around the sharp turn heading down another hallway passage. He felt an immediate lightness replace the weight that had been in his arms. He reached out instinctively, catching the woman falling from his arms before she could slip from his grasp completely. Even as he did this though, he never once slowed his inhuman speed. To do so, would allow Hidan time to catch up...and chop both their heads off. Not an appealing idea to the young bomber shinobi. His gaze fell soundlessly to the woman within his arms. No doubt she's a bit clumsy, Deidara pondered to himself silently as he stared down into the slightly panicked expression on her face. In fact, he had never met such a helpless ninja before. It was almost painful to think about it. More importantly though. How in the hell had she managed to evade the Akatsuki for so long?

Deidara inspectingly scanned over her features, searching for signs of _something_. A blood-line limit. A malformity. A clan symbol. Gruesome battle wounds. Foreign clothing. Anything. Anything that could assure him that there was more to this woman then just an average face, with average clothes. He found none. However, he did begin to see what she really looked like for the first time. Her curled dark brown hair was leaning to one side in a messy heap, tangled beyond all reason and, truth be told, kind of dirty with oily grease and grime. It is actually quite odd. He had seen many women in his time, despite his young age. He'd never seen one with such unkempt hair before. Her nails were in even worse condition then her hair though. Jaggedly edged, dirt compacted beneath them, and over all, a horrible sight to behold. For the young bomber anyway. He just didn't like to see someone who had the potential to look so obviously pretty looking like...well, a wild child fresh out the jungle. He'd have to do something about that.

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Kisame tilted his head up slightly, his face still half hidden by the hat atop his head, allowing his sharp eyes to scan the entrance to the lonely cave. Now set aglow with early morning light. The Akatsuki's temporary Head Quarters. It was just as he remembered it, except, where was Deidara? The younger shinobi was supposed to be guarding the base entrance in case of an enemy attack from outside forces. Kisame cast a quick glance to his partner Itachi. The Uchiha didn't move, nor give any indication that he had noticed the shark ninja's questioning gaze. Kisame knew Itachi understood though. They had been partners long enough to understand what the other was thinking without a word being shared between them. Something akey to friendship, or, as close as they could ever allow. In the world of rouge shinobi. Friendship was a death sentence. Good acquaintances would be the proper term for their relationship. Aside from the understanding of friendship and shinobi, at the moment, both their minds were wondering the same thing. Where was Deidara?

Itachi was the first to move. Continuing his slow but steady stride towards the cave's opening even as the monstrous cold bit at his face when he entered the gloomy world of shadows. They weren't getting anywhere just standing outside anyway. So it was only logical to enter the base to assess the situation. Kisame hesitated briefly, soaking in a few more moments' worth of warmth from the sun's growing heat. It would be undoubtedly very cold within the caves of the mountain side, and he wasn't particularly exuberated of the idea of entering such a dark and _enclosed_ area. Nonetheless, he trudged in after his partner's retreating form and came to walk along side him. As it had always been. Or at least, had been for years. A deep silence surrounded them. It was neither awkward or comfortable. Nor was it neutral. The way to describe it would be an understanding.

They had gone some distance into the halls of the darkly cave when they heard the sound of profane screaming and the tapping of rushing footsteps upon stone hall floors. Hidan and Deidara were at it again it seemed. Itachi and Kisame could feel their chakra signatures, but there was something, someone else with the two as well. Itachi immediately stopped his forward motion, and Kisame followed suit. They recognized that chakra. The lightness of it. The warm feeling it spread throughout their bodies before it left the tingling sensation of gentle icy chills in its wake. The woman was there. So it seemed she had finally been captured. Kisame smirked, a small huff of air leaving him in a small laugh. Itachi on the other hand, made no indication that he felt the woman's presence. Kisame knew his partner could sense her though. Itachi's silence was merely a language in which few can understand, but all came partake. For that is the way of shinobi.

They soon came to the main chamber of their base. Its wide, open area and high raising ceiling doing nothing to tame the raging cold about them. If anything, the build of the room only made it worst. Or maybe it was the ominously looming figure to the right of the main chamber. Completely shadowed in inky shades of midnight black and motionless as death itself. It was staring at the two entering shinobi partners with keen eyes. Studying them. Looking for weaknesses. Waiting. Watching intently. They recognized the sharpness of those eyes immediately and perked up their guard at the ever sight of his devastating green orbs upon them. It was Kakuzu. In all his hard edged glory. Arms crossed, head held high, poster straight, and eyes alert. That was Kakuzu. The very image of how such a powerful and well-bred shinobi should pose himself in the presence of other powerful ninjas. Kakuzu was indeed, a very powerful shinobi.

The stomping of hard wooden sandals to the stone floors below hurried feet caught all three lethal shinobi's attentions, until a deep angered voice rung out from the darkness. "Hand the bitch over!" It was Hidan, and from the unseen twitch on Kakuzu's brow, he was obviously not in the mood to deal with his overbearing partner. "Basterd!" Deidara burst into the room, his sun kissed hair flowing in the cold winds and a small figure held tightly within his cloaked arms, as Hidan's echoing foot steps bypassed the room the blonde was hustling into and continued down the hall. "Get the fuck back here!" The voice died away and the Akatsuki quickly spotted the source of the Jashin follower's irritation, trying and failing to steady _herself_ within Deidara's grasp as he made that sharp turn around the corner.

The young shinobi bomber stopped abruptly at spotting the three other older, and more powerful, Akatsuki members gathered so ominously within the open spaced room of the Akatsuki Head Quarter's main chamber. "Un..." Was all that escaped his lips as he repositioned the young woman within his slim arms, her face was strained into a slightly panicked expression and her hair was in complete disarray the other Akatsuki noticed as she lay motionless in Deidara's grasp.

The Akatsuki stared suspiciously down upon the young woman, all expecting her to make some snide remark at them for being rouge ninja. Or to simply break down and start crying her eyes out like a frightened child at the mere sight of them. Like so many other ninja they'd captured in the past had. They suspected the second given that she was such a _weak_ shinobi. It never came though. She didn't break down into tears like a nervous wreck. She merely stared up at them with her large, soft brown eyes and looked into each one of their faces curiously. Which was unusual given the situation she was currently in. She had been captured by, and was now in the mists of, a group of S-class criminal _men_ that killed for a living, and could snap her head clean off her shoulders in a matter of milliseconds. What young woman with such minimal defensive and offensive skills wouldn't give a strong reaction when in her shoes?

She had calmed herself considerably in just a few quick moments they noted. Which wasn't unusual for most people in a variety of situations, but given her disposition at the time, was very baffling to understand? Now that Hidan had passed, it seemed she had successfully managed to settle herself into a more composed state of mind. Her face was no longer strained into a panicked way that gave them the expression of overbearing dread, but rather a softened gaze that resembled the liking of gentle wonder. Which was just...odd. Very odd. There was seriously something wrong with this woman they concluded. Then again. There was always something wrong with everyone in the world. Some people just had problems that no one else seemed to have at the time. Perhaps that's what it was? Perhaps this woman had problems that no one else in the world had to face and that was why she was acting so unusual given the situation. That was usually the case. They didn't know how right they were.

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**Author's Note**

**I have FINALLY finished this chapter! Sorry it's taken so long. I've been having difficulty in finding the time and ****motivation**** to write on this story. **_**(Trust me, if I try to write when not motivated properly, the writing SUCKS like a sucker fish out of water! No joke. It would scare you away from reading this story ever again.)**_** So what'd you think? Please review...**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**_ABOUT MY WRITING STYLE_: I know I put too many periods in places there should be comas, listings, semi-colons, etc, but that's just my preferred writing style for this story. However, I agree with those who've noticed I've over used it. I intend to use it less often, but won't be rid of it completely. ~Sorry~**

**Some reviews have given me the heads up about my truly horrendous grammar _(The periods and such are the slight exception for this story given the style.) _and spelling _(I won't deny that truth.)_ and I am grateful for the honesty. _I've decided to allow my friend to check over my work and approve of my chapter quality before it is posted up._ I'm not purposely trying to put up poorly written chapters, my spelling and such are just naturally H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E and the spell-check doesn't catch everything I miss.**

**Also, I'm going to shorten the paragraph sections to allow for easier reading.**

**Please feel obliged to criticize, mention mistakes, and give pointers as you see fit, because _I will not_ bite your head off if you choose to do so. _(I am a nice person.)

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 18: The First Touches, The First Blood**

Deidara glanced about warily at the other Akatsuki within the chamber, posture tense and ready to defend from any attacks that could come at any given moment. His visible blue eye was scanning those in the room for any signs of aggression. Kiki could only look up into his guarded eye with her even present wonder still caressing the edges of her expression, watching as his seemingly impassive gaze strolled from one Akatsuki to the other.

Spite. Despite his seeming uncaring demeanor, she could feel it. A very really dose of anger towards the other men in the cave room and the overwhelming sense of caution rolling from him like steady rain drops upon her already cool skin. Being so close to him was intensifying the experience for herself as well, and naturally, her receiving state was starting to kick-in in response to this close connection. _Traitorously _would be the word she'd describe it as. This did not just come about because she was so close to the blond though, but rather because everyone in that room was on edge. Not a very comfortable position to be in, especially when you can feel the static in the air ten-fold. As Kiki could.

Kisame assessed the brown haired woman within the young bomber's slim arms briefly and gave a small, knowing smirk after having noticed her overall condition. "Itachi, it would seem we have a wild child in our midst." The smirk on his face widened ever so slightly, giving the much inquisitive Kiki a good look at the fine pointed, and as most would consider, predator-like teeth lining his strong jaw. "It would seem Deidara has finally met his match." Most would take this particular phrase as an insult, but Deidara being who he was merely smirked in his charming adolescent way at the older ninja. Amused at the sense of humor that at least one other Akatsuki seemed to possess.

Deidara then raised a golden eyebrow at the blue skinned one and gave a taunting smirk that was even wider and more mischievous than his previous. One Kiki had begun to recognize as an indication of his amusement. "That would account for both of us, hn, Kisame?" Then the light and charming laughter came when Kisame's face seemed to tense a bit, and though the blue skinned one kept a deceptively calm air about him, Kiki could clearly sense that the blue skinned man was slightly uncomfortable with the younger man's comment.

Kiki was glancing from the blue skinned man to the blonde with her soft brown eyes curiously when she became all too self aware that there were two other sets of keenly sharp eyes on her. Two dangerous set of eyes that unnerved her more than the blonde or the blue skinned man ever did or possibly could. For despite the blue one's obviously massive power reserves, his eyes, though a bit odd in appearance, didn't hold the same overbearing weight as those watching her so intently from the side lines of the blonde's and blue man's conversation.

Being held so close to the younger man's chest was making it hard to concentrate on what was happening around her, since she could feel everything he felt magnified by an untold amount. Which was not a good thing given her circumstances. She managed to narrow her overwhelmed senses just enough to fully identify who the other two were even in the darkness around them. The stitched one she noticed first, the scary one's partner, and the red-eyed one, Itachi. Surprisingly though, it wasn't the scary strong one she was feeling the most cautious of. It was the smaller built one with the cold crimson eyes.

Why? It did, but didn't make sense to her. A very vexing combination for anyone to comprehend.

Itachi's piercing red orbs were on her as she lay obediently still in Deidara's arms, holding onto the front of his cloak lightly as to prevent herself from falling. Should he begin to move again that is. This woman was indeed a very dangerous individual to the stability of the Akatsuki, Itachi pondered to himself silently as he monotonously stood at his partners side. The unfeeling expression he always wore still unmoved and unchanged even as these unsettling thoughts entered his mind. It seemed she had somehow managed to worm her way into the confidence of the Akatsuki's youngest member, Deidara, if the young blonde was allowing her to be so close to him in such an unprotected state.

Itachi's eyes slimed unnoticeably while he watched the young woman turn an inspecting gaze towards him, her round brown eyes wide with curiosity until she suddenly looked away from him. She could obviously feel the fine edged intensity with resides within Itachi's emotionless eyes when so focused on their target. Then again, Itachi gave a slow blink that did not go unmissed by Kisame, he should have expected as much from Deidara. The young bomber _was who he was_ after all and young woman were fair game in his mind.

Kisame glanced warily to his stoic partner in a briefly inspecting manner, sensing that something was greatly unsettling the usually uncaring Uchiha. More than he'd ever sensed before anyway. The blue skinned man did not know what it was exactly that was going on inside the younger shinobi's head, since he couldn't actually read Itachi's mind as some may have come to think, but he had a rough idea as to what was happening within the dark confines that is Itachi's mind.

That woman. He turned a secretively skeptical stare onto the woman's blissful unaware face. She was by now staring inquisitively about the high ceilinged room with seeming wonder, the grip she had on Deidara's cloak had loosened just the smallest bit as her head tilted up in wonderment. He also noted that Deidara still hadn't put her down, but had instead taken to warily but discreetly avoiding Kakuzu's piercing green dagger like eyes.

Kisame inspected the woman's small form for anything that would be causing his partner's discomfort. He found nothing of real significance, other than how close the young woman seemed to be to their youngest member Deidara...and how thin she was. That was beside the point though, and he had no obligations to this girl. Still. What was it he wasn't seeing?

He and the Uchiha prodigy had been partners for years now and had a connection that the other Akatsuki teams did not share. An understanding of how the other thought was probably the best way to describe their partnership. Perhaps that is what made them so in tuned to the other's frustrations and _worries_.

Well, worries per say wasn't exactly the right word to express it. Concerns was a much more reasonable terminology. Kisame sometimes got the impression that Itachi was incapable of worry. However, he also knew this assumption on his part to be false to the very foundations of its infrastructure. Sometimes though, the lack of emotion in Itachi's nature made him question just how much he really knew about the young man. For everything was an _assumption_ of what the younger man was thinking, nothing more.

Itachi did indeed worry, but not about others such as the Akatsuki or other people in general. Probably not even life, living, was a concern for the young Uchiha at this point. He had simply closed himself off from most of the trivial conflicts of life. However, there was one thing that Kisame did know about Itachi...that there was something the Uchiha wasn't telling him.

Kisame had to be rational about the situation of such a taboo topic as worries and concerns. Shinobi didn't just reveal their worries, their weaknesses many would say, to just anyone that was not within their highest confidences. Itachi even more so than most. It went against the very code that all ninja were trained to obey from the first time they learn to put their hands together and form a hand sign. The law by which all shinobi are bound. The knowledge to never let your opponents know your jutsu or weaknesses.

Itachi never let his guard down though. Kisame had come to understand that early on into their partnership, and that is what separated Itachi from any other shinobi that he knew of. Rouge or not. In the light of this understanding of the young Uchiha's untrusting demeanor towards everyone around him, Kisame was able to come to a very probable conclusion. Itachi may very well be one of the most well bred shinobi he had ever known.

Kiki could feel the four sets of eyes on her. Watching her with various emotions. Some less noticeable than others, but all watching her just the same. Even as she looked upon the surrounding Akatsuki curiously she could feel their worries, their amusement, and even suspicions. It was a bit unnerving and disheartening to be completely honest. To know that the first time she had been able to be so close to other living people in years, just so happened to be in such an environment as the one she was now in. A place where only animosity and sickly sweet amusement could be felt. Where sadness and hatred was a given and the pain and suffering of others held little need for compassion or comfort.

The coldness of the man beside her, whose heart was frozen bitter within the icy grasps of time's embrace, and yet burning with the fiery caress of unfaltering passion. That was what she felt when she listened to the steady heartbeat of the man who held her within his arms. That was what she felt when she would sleep. When she and her demon had connected. The coldness of his heart, but the scorching fires just beneath the years of coated ice. Perhaps her demon was not so different from these men, but even so. Her demon was not just some other man that had had a horrible beginning that had turned his heart to ice...was he?

The dulling of shining brown eyes was hidden away from the sight of the Akatsuki, but there none the less. Turning her usually liquid orbs a flat empty brown. This was not a place Kiki had ever wished to live in, but it was indeed the world in which she had grown into the person she had become. It was the world in which she lived almost all her life. Since she was a mere four years of age. Then again, it might have been at six years of age. Whether or not she had been at the age of four or six, it was the life of _true_ shinobi that had come after.

A life of sadness and sorrow. Where her life was always within the deepest reaches of darkness and the simple act of kindness could mark the end for her. Something she had experienced many times in her relatively short life. Unfortunately, she lacked all ninja based instincts. The instincts to kill, lie, and use others for their own ends. A rather dim combination of placement and adaptability for her unusually kind-hearted nature. A death sentence to be sure.

Kiki inwardly fought the gripping chills from within her ever tightening chest. It was spreading to her lower stomach regions. She felt the painfully crawling sting of such deadly and intense gazes upon her like pointed spider legs piercing into her flesh. Not very pleasant. Even being in Deidara's arms wasn't helping as they had when she was being chased down by the scary one, Hidan.

If she hadn't had to deal with the intensity in which her demon had scorned and tormented her for so long, she probably would have simply broken down into a fit of tears. Then curled into a quivering ball on the ground. Trying to block out everything that was happening around her. In all honesty. Wasn't that what most people would do in her situation. Kiki wasn't sure since she had always been on her own. Perhaps she was just weak, she thought to herself in silence, yes, perhaps so. She would probably never know. She had come to accept that she would likely never know the answers to the questions that plagued her thoughts and dreams.

That was what she felt like doing in all honesty. Breaking down and giving up. The pain that was leaking so freely to her still beating heart was like that of exotic poisons. The pressure was just so much for her shaking heart to take. Everything seemed to be hitting her at once full on in the face with a passion of monumental fury.

Over the week she'd been running from the Akatsuki, the realities of what would happen should she be captured by them had been ominously looming over her. Squeezing the air from her in a vice like grip. The thoughts alone she had been able to handle, but now it had happened. She was literally within the grasp of the Akatsuki, and there was nothing she could do about it. Yet...

The sounds of heavy foot steps racing into the room echoed through the high ceilinged chamber and caught Kiki's attention, snapping her from her thoughts instantly. Then that all too familiar voice came and she felt her blood run cold. She froze. "Bitch! Hand her over fucken faggot!" Hidan raged at the blonde, and though Kiki couldn't see him, she could all too vividly image what he must have looked like. Dark and intimidating.

Kiki felt herself being gradually put down. A shock wave of distress hit her full on then, but she was too stunned by the loss of support to move right away. Her sudden sensation of panic must have shown because Deidara patted her on the back reassuringly and pushed her forward a little. Towards the blue skinned man and his partner. And essentially, away from the white haired man. The man she _did not_ want to be near.

She could feel the blood thirsty man's dark glower on her back as the young blonde turned bodily to face the albino, allowing her to be seen by him. Nonetheless, despite the young bomber still being so close, chills were running down her spine. It was not just the fact that Hidan was staring her down so lividly either. For the first time, she suddenly found herself completely alone in the center of the dark and eerie room...and the center of attention to the shinobi within it. Not a comforting position. Not even for most shinobi.

Of all the people who could have broken the silence, it was the red eyed one that first addressed the woman. That was probably what startled Kiki the most. "What is your name?" His voice was icy cold and chilling to the bone, causing Kiki's back to stiffen after her shoulder gave a flinch. Slowly, very slowly, her soft eyes came to rest on him.

Her mouth did not even attempt to move after he'd asked her the question. Most her life she had never had a voice in which to use, so silence was the best she could give him in such regards. Then she had to take into account that she wasn't doing anything. It would be wise for her to motion her disability, but unfortunately, her hands were too numb to move. She was still not recovered from the shock of being put down. She was afraid. So, so afraid.

Itachi's eyes narrowed, a frown of displeasure gracing his pale lips. It was Deidara who came to Kiki's defense. "She's mute, un." He answered the question for the young woman; ruffling her hair and giving all those present a cocky grin. A knowing grin. "It seems she's a bit shy though, yeah." Kiki felt something begin to heat up in the back of her throat. Something was wrong, but what? She couldn't place...

Rage and livid intensity. A deafening rush of cool wind and muffled sounds of metal clashing. A swirl of flashing candle light. Kiki found herself thrown into a disoriented blur of darkly colors. The sound of whooshing air streaming through her hair. A sharp pain reverberated through her abdomen and her vision spotted white dots. The air left her lips in a huffing gasp. She felt herself beginning to fly backwards, her feet not even touching the ground.

She didn't even feel it when she hit the ground, her body slamming into the wall to the opposite side of the room. It didn't take long before she could feel her side begin to set aflame in burning sensations from the impact though. Her vision was swimming in hazy colors and all she could hear was the screech of static buzzing in her head. The cold of the stone beneath her helped to numb the pain that was beginning to take a firmer root in Kiki's lower body, but it did nothing for the pounding in her head. Oh God the pain was horrendous. She felt the sting at the corners of her eyes, but she held back from allowing the tears to flow as they wished. It was out of finely practiced instinct that she managed this feat.

Snap.

As her hearing began to retune into what was going on around her, she could hear a man cursing unmercifully in rage and an irritated grunt come from another. She could have sworn it was the scary strong one. Another of the men was starting to scold another on her behalf and yet another chuckled humorously. The chuckle was closest, and though the situation was not the most suitable for things of that nature, it was not all together unpleasant to hear. It anything, it eased Kiki's reeling nerves, despite the roughness of the voice...and the sadistic pleasure that laced every gruff sound.

There was a hand placed on her shoulder. Large and firm, but steady and gentle. It turned her onto her back and remained on her shoulder as it shook lightly. She blinked and turned to unfocused gaze to the man hovering above her. Blue. Light blue. She could see him, but couldn't quite comprehend. Her head and body in too much agony to think properly, all she could do was watch blankly as the man gave an amused laugh. He looked down to her lower stomach briefly, and then looked back to her face. She blinked again. She wasn't sure what to do. Her thoughts were still heavily drunk with disorientation.

She watched as the blue skinned man lifted her upper body from the ground to bring her to a sitting position, smirking at her in his toothy smirk. "I'll give you credit..." He began, his gravelly amused voice soothing to Kiki's ears. Very odd since it would have probably been labeled as terrifying to others. "...not just anyone can take a direct hit from that sadistic basterd and walk away from it." He mused to her, pointing towards the terrifying silver haired man, who was at that moment bitching and getting his throat patched up.

Kiki looked down at herself then. She realized, with a jolt, what he meant. Dark crimson was pooling around her sitting form, soaking into her clothes. Drenching her white jacket rose red and her gray pants midnight black. It smelt of iron. A metallic, but almost addicting smell. It made Kiki feel sick. The pain had subsided from all areas of her lower body by now as the least, and the damaged nerves in her brain tissue had been repaired by her healing abilities. She knew that the gash that had been through her lower stomach had healed already, since there was no blood flow coming from the area. That had still been a lot of blood though.

The blue man released her shoulder, coming to a stand next to her. Overwhelming her ever more with his unbelievable height. Every mind blowing inch of him. He stared down at her expectantly, and she gazed back up to him. A silent understanding. Slowly, Kiki steadied herself before she could accidently stagger back to a sit. Shakily, she got to her knees, trying her best to ignore the dull throbbing in her side and lower body. It hurt, but not that badly.

She looked back up to Kisame and found him smirking in down at her in amusement, but the wave sensations she was getting from him told her that he was pleased by her cooperation and ability to move on her own. That was good, right? She hoped so. Not wanting to pull any anger from the man beside her, Kiki forced her body to its feet. Steadying herself with her hands before straightening to a stand.

She felt her own blood running down her legs, staining her pants, and pooling at her feet. It had cooled greatly from when it'd first left her body, and now felt like cool honey or thick water crawling slowly across her skin towards the ground below. She shivered at the cold chills that filled her. And in all ways. It unnerved her to be dripping in her own blood, and she could feel her body starting to tense up. Oh. Blood was everywhere. It was all over her.

She looked down at her hands, her eyes widening as she stared at them with a quivering heart. Blood was dripping from her fingers, gathering in her palm. It was mesmerizing, surreal, chilling, and terrifying all at the same time. She'd never bleed this much before. Never. Not that she can recall. She felt light headed then. The blood in her body had replenished yes, but watching such a vast amount of her own blood spreading out on the stone below. It was starting to get to her.

Kiki looked up from her crimson coated hands, unable to keep watching the blood streaming down her wrists in such a manner. She let her gaze roam to all those present within the high ceilinged chamber, but they were all too busy watching Hidan with sickly amusement as he ranted about his partner being a basterd. It seemed that watching people basking in their own blood was a common event to these people.

Kiki felt a cold sensation fill her, giving her an almost frigid feeling. This was not somewhere she wanted to be. Yet. She looked to the blue skinned man beside her, watching as he gave her an inspecting raise of his brow. Amusement was waving off of him in steady currents of warmth which only she could feel, basking her in pleasant tingles with she recognized as her receptive state. Yet it was what she'd always wanted. Someone to see her. Someone to know her. Someone to be there, when all she had was the terror around her. The world. Her world.

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**Author's Note**

**Ha, ha! This chapter is now up and my friend has something to say… Hi! I am being beta for Googala2, which is no task for the fainthearted I can tell you. Seriously. Psychologically with 3 Fs, people. But anyway, I know this chapter is full of nothing actually happening, but it is still interesting, no? and now less full of spelling errors. Apologies for anything I missed…**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Author's Note: CHAPTER 19! Just one more and this story will have passed the 20 chapters mark. I thank with all my heart all those who've been reading and reviewing my story, because without your support I probably would have given up on this piece of literature a long time ago. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 19: Akatsuki What?**

Screaming. Crying. The wailing of damned souls forever crawling through the blackened tar of blood pooling together across the world of despair. All echoing out their screeching pleads for mercy and salvation into the vast void of darkened skies in which a lone figure floated seeming effortlessly within. Suspended above the calmly white rippled ocean below.

Yes. Most would have gone insane from the horrid, shrill-like screeching of the wretched hollow faced soul's endless mourning of their unbearable grief, but perhaps Sean was past that point. Very likely this was true. He wouldn't have been surprised in the least, it had happened many a time before. At the same time though, he would probably wonder how many times that had been. How many times he'd lost his mind that is.

There are many minds within the capacity for thought. Be them of a human, _god, angel, demon_, or the leaves of a tree. In Sean's world, the loss of a few was nothing unusual. In order to change, one must first lose their initial mind. That is the way of the worlds. So sanity and insanity were also merely mind sets which can be changed and altered. It was all very simple in Sean's view. Not even worth dwelling on at this point.

Sean could feel himself slowly drifting into the deepest reaches of his own subconscious. He was only partially aware of the howling souls reaching up to him from the depths of the ooze in which he levitated above. Their long, white fingers clawing at the unseen platform on which he dwelled, leaving deep imprints of their sharpened nails. He was far too lost in his own thoughts to pay the cold finger tips at his exposed toes any mind. It wasn't like they could actually hurt him any.

A beam of radiant red thrashed wildly through the empty sky over head. Bright and powerful. It highlighted the white smears of nothingness streaked across the sky a faint crimson before the streaks began to pull together into a single mass. Sean looked up to the swirling display of pale blurs as they twisted and gripped at one another ruthlessly, tearing and slashing at anything they intertwined with until crimson liquids rained from the colorless skies.

The receptive state and current state of mind were at war with one another in Kiki's psyche, viciously fighting for dominance over the precious gift that was Kiki's mind. Sean frowned at the indication. He knew that for such an occurrence to be taking place within his beloved's subconscious, than she was in the company of some very powerful, and sinister individuals. Not very appealing, that cold frown never left his lips, but not an unbeneficial turn of events either.

It seemed the Akatsuki had hold of her.

Blood poured down upon Sean's unseen face as he closed his eyes and raised his head to face the wounded skies weeping above him. "What is this power...power...power?" Sean's low voice echoed within the ever hollow abyss cloaking him in a nightly uniform of black, hiding his face from the reddish light and its deadly beauty. "Kiki my love....my love...my love." His chest began to radiate scolding heat until the pulsing within his chest caught fire in a blaze of bluish-white light. He threw his head back and fell to the solid nothingness below him, his eyes half-lidded in seeming drunkenness. "You make this too easy...easy...easy. Kiki...Kiki...Kiki."

"You know dear brother. The way you call out that girl's name." The angelic form of Sean's elder brother swooped down from the bleeding heavens above, drips of red blood flicking from his wings in mocking reminder as he circled his motionless brother. He landed beside the still unmoving Sin demon, folding his wings majestically as he did so. "It makes me sick." The malice and distaste in his tone would have been hard for even the dullest of beings to miss.

Sean finally turned his head to looked up at his elder brother. His eyes were midnight black and icy cold, as they'd always been. Sean's brother was forced to look away from his younger brother's eyes as he always was. Unable to bear that which was held within deep them. That one undeniable thing that resided within Sean's hardened black orbs and cold stare.

Sean blinked slowly, watching his elder brother with expressionless eyes, ignoring the bitter-sweet ting of blood dripping onto his face from the clashing skies above. It was coating his tongue in its bitter-sweet taste. "I love her Thero." His lips firmed into a pained line and he let his eyelids slip closed as crimson tears poured from his eyes. Staining his shadowed face with streaks of red glow.

The angelic one, Thero, scoffed in obvious disdain at his younger brother's words. He used that low, cruel tone he so masterfully possessed, which was a true sign of his distaste. He rose gracefully from his seated position beside Sean, leaning over the other to hover above him in menacing silence, wings folding and unfolding in expectancy. He slowly placed his hands on either side of Sean's motionless body, caging his younger brother beneath him, crouched low above the Lord of Sin.

Sean, for his part, merely lay there on his back watching unseeingly as his elder brother began to close the space between them. Bringing them ever closer together until Sean could feel the heated breath of his brother washing over his face in light, feathery breezes. Their eyes locked for but a second, before Thero's piercing blue eyes broke the brief contact. Averting them to the younger's lips and chin to escape the intensity of those black orbs.

Thero hissed then, next to Sean's ear. "You, in love?" Something about that thought angered Thero. A deep frown crossed the angelic one's lips, before he wet his mouth with the tip of his reddish tongue. "You cannot love my dearest brother. It is merely obsession on your part." Sean closed his eyes as his brother said this to him, allowing the older to farther close the gap between their already limited space. "You cannot love. Not dad, not mom..." Something flashed within the elder's eyes before it was replaced by cold-hearted anger. "And not me."

Sean did not gift his elder brother with a strong reaction, or any kind of reaction, as the other would have so eagerly anticipated. His dark eyes remained closed and his lips still, as if he were deep in slumber, his breath steady and deep. Thero tilted his head at the side just the smallest bit, as to get a better look at his younger brother. Inspecting.

How long had it been since he had truly been this close to his brother, _of his own accord_? Thero wasn't sure of the exact number of centuries passed since he'd last been so close to his younger sibling, for the millennia he'd spent traveling through space and time had clouded his sense of years past. They all seemed like a blur of far off events and tragedies that had shaped his and his brothers' lives now. Forever branding them for what they now were. _Demons and angels_.

"Perhaps you are right." Sean admitted wearily, his eyes opening into a lazy stare as he pushed his brother from his body with a light heave at the chest. At this, Thero recovered his balance with a flap of his powerful wings before he could fall off the edge of the invisible platform, and watched with narrowing eyes while his rising brother got to his feet. "I was incapable of _love_." He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed up to the clashing skies, watching the pale steaks of light still warring with themselves. He sneered. "But corruption has changed all that." He sneered, his nails ripping into the soft flesh of his upper arm. "But you know all about that..." His cold eyes locked with his brother's, holding blue orbs captive in their raw intensity. "Don't you?"

* * *

Kiki could only stand by silently as the many Akatsuki members about her began to speak to one another of such things she would not care to repeat or entertain. They spoke of blood, gore, recent missions, and most disturbingly of all, ripping things called _Jinchuriki_ from their _host's_ bodies and then sealing them into some kind of _Devil's Stone_. Now Kiki didn't completely understand what they were referring to by this, but she did not particularly want to find out about how such feats of brutal butchery were done. It sent uneasy cold chills down her back just thinking about the possibilities.

The hot blood in her veins were roaring in her ears, making them burn slightly with irritation that tempted her to scratch at them. She reframed from such impulsive actions though, not wishing to draw the full attention of such vicious men as the men around her were. Even Deidara, the beautiful young man she had had such close contact with earlier, was very cruel in his explanations of his view of art and what it did to the human body. In all this, she was desperately struggling to control herself from cowering in fear by their mere presences. It was terrifying and completely new to her to be frank.

She fiddled nervously with the bloodied hem of her once white hooded jacket, tensing slightly when she felt the distinctive crunch of dry crimson between her numb fingertips. It was freezing within the high-ceilinged chamber and she could feel the sharpness of the bitter cold on her skin, wet from her freshly spilt blood. She really did not want to be around these people, but at the same time, she didn't want to be left alone either. This indecisiveness of her own tragedies was a dilemma that she had fought for so many years, and now, it was at its peak it seemed. She was living the moment, not just imagining it.

The distinguishable sound of static reached Kiki's alert ears, instantly grabbing her attention away from the small flakes of dried blood in her finger nails. She felt the presence of a powerful, very powerful, ruthlessly powerful, new man among them. Her muscles locked up at the feeling of the person's power bearing down on her, causing her to stiffen quite noticeably. Oh she was afraid, and no one was going to convince her otherwise. That was the truth.

"Young girl." Kiki felt the beginnings of sweat forming in her palms and a cold sensation starting to take root in her lower body, but she nonetheless turned herself around to search for the source of the voice. She did not want to displease this powerful shinobi, whoever he was.

When she located the man speaking to her, she felt a wave of chakra pressure descend over her like a thick cloak of dense wool. The power radiating off him stunned her at first, and the air had caught in her throat. Was this...the Akatsuki leader? The chakra signature she sensed from him seemed so familiar, but at the same time, different from what she had felt before when she was unconscious. Yes, she remembered what the presence she'd felt then was like. It had been too powerful not to remember. Too sinisterly overpowering.

"It has come to our attention that you possess a rare ability. One that will become a great asset to our ambitions." The smooth, cold flow of his voice _silently_ demanded Kiki's respect, and the young woman couldn't seem to fight against that unspoken warning. It was far beyond anything that she'd had to deal with before, for not even her demon had ever demanded such things from her. "What is your name?" Kiki hesitated and the Akatsuki leader understood. "Write it out."

Kiki felt a cold sweat break out on the back of her neck at hearing his command, sending a frigid ache down her spine. Heat began to build up in her cheeks. She...she didn't know how to write. She'd only been four when she'd been taken from her mother and she'd never been taught how to write before or after. She'd been too young to comprehend the words she mother had once read to her from story books. To have also made matters worse, her demon, though he'd educated her in the very basics of reading signs and counting money, had never allowed her to actually strive for an education. The sad truth was, that she was illiterate.

She heard one of the Akatsuki members, the bloodthirsty one, snickering to himself in amusement. Obviously finding great humor in her inability to complete the task Pein had given her. "The bitch is a moron." He crackled in his blood hungry tone, giving the young woman a taunting grin that extended somehow from one ear to the other. Kiki shivered unnoticeably at the sight.

"Reminds me of someone else we know, yeah." Deidara pointed out mockingly, giving a charmingly horrid smirk towards the silver haired man when the Jashin priest turned a devastatingly cynical death glare on the young blonde bomber. He was picking at some very sensitive areas when it came to Hidan it seemed. "Just thought I'd point that out." Kisame chuckled at this and Hidan was now a bright red in the face.

Anger. "Basterd!" Hidan launched himself full speed at the younger man and swung his scythe at the bomber shinobi, aiming for the broad side of his chest and stomach. Deidara merely smirked tauntingly as he dodged the other's attack and veered to the left before a second attack could be mounted against him, successfully pulling even more rage from the Jashinist. "Little fag!" Hidan bellowed, yet again missing his target as Deidara maneuvered in mid-air before both men landed neatly to the ground below.

The years between them were not far off, but even the five year age difference was enough to allow a rift of animosity to flow between the two men. Deidara, 17, and Hidan, 22, were both young and undeniably beautiful to behold, however, their differences in age and ideals created an air tight barrier between them. It was the kind of block one sees between young brothers of a common but different age. The transition of one becoming a teen of 13 and the other being a child of 8. So in Deidara's mind, Hidan was an old geezer, having crossed the 20s mark, and to Hidan Deidara was a nuisance, since that was simply how Hidan was...and Deidara was a heathen in Hidan's eyes.

There was a sense of expressionless resentment that Kiki felt flowing off the Akatsuki leader as his ringed eyed stare assessed to two men indifferently. "Hidan, Deidara, enough." Pein commanded monotonously, stopping Hidan's next attack at the blonde in mid-stride. Hidan scoffed indignantly, but the Akatsuki leader ignored the common gesture of Hidan's defiance towards him.

Pein honestly hoped the immortal woman before him would not turn out to become like Hidan in the long run. Though he did not show or express it, the constant defiance and high volumed profanity of the Jashin was starting to try at his already shot nerves, and he did not know how he would deal with another Hidan. One was bad enough, even for someone like him

"Girl." Kiki's soft eyes locked with his and he felt her flinch under the weight of his own. "Since your name is unclear to us, you will be addressed as we see fit." The flicker of his eyes caught Kiki's attention. "Deidara. This woman will be your new partner." His eyes locked back with Kiki's, staring her down. "You are to prepare her for travel and explain to her our customs." His eyes slimmed into a hardened glare as he continued to watch her. "And if she tries to escape..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Deidara let his gaze roll over the young woman standing motionlessly some distance away from the shadowed hologram of his leader. "Kill her if she tries to escape." A sad frown crossed the woman's lips and Deidara's eyes were drawn to the dullness taking root in her once shining orbs. "Got it, un."

Pein nodded his head once in affirmative, though it was hard to make out in the darkness of the chamber, before he added. "Then bring her back to the base so that I may deal with her." Kiki felt her heart skip at the thought of what he could do to her and a wave of nausea struck her.

Deidara gave his leader his trademark smirk, coming to a stand next to the unnamed woman and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up to him with gentle brown eyes, but he still felt the hurt in them despite their tenderness. "Leader my man, you have nothing to worry about, un." He held Kiki just the slightest bit closer, ignoring the blood that was heavily coated on her lower body. He leaned down next to her ear and her eyebrows pulled together at the contact of his soft hair on her shoulder as he whispered. "I know all the ways into a beautiful young woman's heart."

Kiki's face suddenly became a deep red at his words, her face heating up. Luckily though, Pein had already turned to the other Akatsuki and was at that moment giving them orders on their next missions. Kiki thanked whatever their was to thank for that, She turned her wide, steady eyes up to the younger man beside her, her face mostly hidden in the shadows of the surrounding cave, but still visibly to the bomber shinobi. The torchlight was coming from behind them, and visibility was limited.

After some time of simply staring into each others eyes, Deidara turned his blue eyed gaze away from the obviously shocked woman and towards his leader. "What about her ring?" He questioned seriously, eyeing his leader curiously as the hologram turned a dangerously silent stare towards him. "It's standard, yeah?" Kiki's eyes widened at the words. A ring?

Kiki had been in many awkward moments before this, but this...this was something she would have never even dreamed of experiencing. Never in her entire life did she think she'd have to face this. As the other Akatsuki left, aside from Deidara,_ her new partner_, she couldn't seem to make herself move. She could only watch as the shadowed visual of their leader handed the young bomber ninja a small ring bearing a symbol she could not identify. Was too shocked to identify.

Ring in hand, the blonde gave her a charmingly adolescent smirk and came to a confidant stand beside her still motionless form. He held out his other hand, waiting for her to place hers in his so he could put the ring on the correct finger for her. Like a gentlemen trying to impress her would, given his nature in such things.

Had she been in any other situation, she would have noticed the strange mouth on his hand right away, but currently, she was too stunned to even notice he was talking to her. She hardly noticed that he had taken hold of her hand and was showing her his own as to get her attention as too what he was trying to tell her. Everything was silent to her at that moment, even if the blonde's lips were moving right in front of her she couldn't seem to hear it.

She felt his long, elegant fingers forcibly grip at her stiff ones and spread them apart so that he could have better access to them. Her brown eyes blinked hazily as she watched him slip the ring onto her thumb with relative ease, though there was a deep frown on his beautiful face at her resistance at cooperating with him in the matter. Well, it wasn't exactly that, it was more like a displeasure at her being so shocked at being given an Akatsuki ring. None of the other Akatsuki seemed to have had such a reaction to getting their rings from what he'd heard.

Wordlessly, or rather rigidly, the woman stared down at the ring on her hand and blinked blankly at it, and Deidara knew then that there was something more to this than what he could see. More than simply her admittance into the Akatsuki that was doing this to her. What it was he wasn't sure, but he knew one thing...it was something big. Really big. And she couldn't seem to believe it.

Deidara was right on the money with that assumption as to what was happening to the young woman beside him. There was indeed something behind what Kiki was thinking that he couldn't see up front, and it was big. Really big. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with disbelief. Her mouth opened but no words or sound came out. She...she had...Her eyes dropped back down to the ring on her finger. She had just married into the Akatsuki.

Oh...

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Kiki thinks she married into the Akatsuki!!! Man I love her being so innocent and uneducated in social behaviors. It leaves so much room for interpretation, no? Anyway, the scene with Sean and his brother is open to your own interpretations, because this is a story that is suppose to make people think about and question the _rights and wrongs_ of society. No matter how disturbing or hard it may be to accept. Please review...**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Author's Note: It's been a while since I updated...Now for more of the Kikiness!

* * *

**

**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 20: A Jewel's Voice **

Throughout the long hour Kiki and the young blonde had been within the hollow cave chambers of _their _headquarters after _their _leader had left them, the blonde had been out of her sight. Off in some other room in which Kiki wasn't completely sure, given she had not had the means to ask of his whereabouts before he'd left. He'd told her he was going to get her her own uniform though, and she couldn't say she wasn't relieved by the thought of new clothes. The crusty clumps of blood on her jacket were starting to make her light headed.

So currently, she was wandering around the many twisting halls and passageways hidden within the steep mountainside, letting her fingers graze curiously against the unusually smooth stone walls. It was cold, and it was dark. An eerie, shadowy darkness that seemed to be further enhanced by the dim lighting of nearly spent candles, basking her slow moving form in a ray of near crimson glow. The shine danced on her face as she looked up into the light and stared with wonder at its perverse beauty, seeming to leave streaks of untouched blood across her lightly tanned complexion.

A few times, many times, she'd been tempted to touch the melted wax trapped forever in mid-drip off the side of the candle holder, wanting so much to feel the soft looking edges of it. To know what it felt like under her fingers. It was very strange, how something could melt away so quickly at the flame's touch and then suddenly harden while in mid-air so effortlessly when the fire was removed. Most people don't seem to enjoy taking the time to just notice the little wonders of life. The simple beauty it possesses. And it saddened Kiki to know that.

As she continued her small journey about the cold halls of the Akatsuki Head Quarters, allowing the chilled air to caress at her numb cheeks, a thought struck her and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. A cold tingle ran down the length of her spine and settled firmly in her lower stomach, knotting there like a waiting viper. Deidara wouldn't be able to find her because she'd wandered off from the main chamber. Her shoulder's twitched at the thought. What had she been thinking?

Her heart strained painfully in her chest as she began to dwell in her own thoughts. She hadn't been thinking. She'd been so intrigued by her new environment that she'd forgotten that the blonde would eventually have to find her, or more logically, needed to know where she was. Now she felt awful.

Realization dawned on Kiki, as if by practiced instinct, which it pretty much was. If Deidara couldn't find her, then she could make a run for it and the Akatsuki would never find her again. Then she wouldn't have to worry about her demon escaping and...She quickly shook the images from her mind. That was something she _did not_ want to think about. She looked down at her hand and stared intently at the ring on her left thumb with large brown eyes. All she'd have to do is...

"Hey sweetheart." Kiki tensed as the light graze of soft fabric brushed against the sensitive skin on the back of her neck. "Now let's get you cleaned up, yeah." She could almost feel the smirk that the _other_ Akatsuki member had on his face as he said this; if nothing else, she could definitely feel and hear the amusement in his tone.

Kiki didn't have to turn around to know who was behind her. The deep, undertone lightness of his voice was already burned deep into her memory. It was Deidara, and he was now breathing down her neck, his warm, moist breath fanning down her jacket and over her shoulders. She tensed farther, but even so, she felt no lust from him. That lack of sexual interest was what managed to keep her calm even with him so suggestively close. Was he testing her, Kiki wondered briefly?

Kiki's soft eyes held a hesitant question when she looked back to the blonde shinobi carefully, a deep shyness having taken root within her. Where was she going to bathe? Yes, Kiki was extremely shy in such situations and the knowledge of bathing in a place to which she was a stranger was not helping in the slightest, not only because she'd be undressing in a place that belonged to someone she had little to no familiarity with, even if he was her husband, but she did not want to make Deidara feel that he had any obligations to allow her his personal space or time. In truth, she felt unreasonably guilty about the whole idea.

The blonde understood the silent question in her eyes and smirked lightly at the knowledge of her complete reliance on his _wisdom_. Taking the bend of her arm in a light grasp, he lead her down the dark lit halls at a steadily set pace, finding no real need to continue further prying at the young woman for the day. It was becoming painfully apparent to the young shinobi that this woman was not going to fall for his antics. This somewhat disappointed him; more than anything though, it intrigued him. Not many women would pass up an opportunity to share his bed. She was certainly a tough one to crack.

Though she couldn't seem to understand why, as the blonde lead her towards the place she assumed the bathroom would be, she wanted to cry. Vague ideas of why she felt the way she did came and went though her mind, but none of them really made much sense. She wasn't hurt or in the presence of a suffering individual, nor was she being harassed to the point of tears. It was confusing. Maybe she was tired? She'd been sleeping for some time though. She looked up to the blonde, his handsome face was set in an impassive stare. Why did she want to cry...now?

She cast her eyes to the ground, a deep aching pain taking root within her chest and her eyes beginning to itch in irritation. She meekly hid her face from the blonde man who was leading her as discreetly as she could manage, but he noticed her sudden change in behavior immediately. His beautiful blue eyes locked intensely on the side of her concealed face, which was covered by the mop of fuzz she called her hair.

He leaned down ever so slightly as to get a better look at her face while brushing the locks of hair from her eyes, ignoring her silent protests when she turned her head away from him farther. He frowned. "Hey, what's wrong? I haven't even done anything, un." She didn't look at him, and he felt a wave of annoyance wash over him. What was her problem?

Her eyes suddenly darted up at him, soft brown orbs so bright and full of uncontained joy despite the dim lighting. Her smile alone seemed to rip out of the darkness which surrounded them like a beckon of sunlight. Such a smile would have made one think she we was a young child, gazing up to their parent after receiving a gift. Deidara's brow twitched lightly, but not visibly enough for her to see it. He smiled nonetheless.

What in the world...?

She somehow managed to ease her arm from his grip and intertwine her fingers with his, all previous traces of her shyness gone. She swung her arms a couple of times, gently forcing his into motion with her own, grinning up at him with seemingly great amusement. Her hands were soft and thin in his, and he was once again brought to the realization of what she really looked like. His visible eye watched her intently as they once again began their walk to the small bathing room some corridors down.

Her bony hips and ribs showed slightly through the damp cloth which stuck to her figure like a second layer of skin, now that her clothes were drenched in drying blood. Her face was seemingly full of new life, but the sunken skin of her hollowing cheeks gave her a skeletal feel which nearly made Deidara cringe. The lighting of the candle light wasn't helping much at all, if anything, it only made her look even worse. Maybe in a little more light, her boniness wouldn't be so noticeable.

Deidara slide his un-preoccupied, clay roughened hand smoothly into his pouch pocket as the young woman swung his other playfully, letting the mouth on his hand eat away at some of the clay within. It honestly didn't taste all too pleasant, but he'd acquired a distinct immunity to the dirt-like taste over the years.

He was preparing for the unlikely event that an enemy should manage to sneak into the base while the young woman was bathing. He knew he'd have to take precautions for the newest Akatsuki member, because unlike Sasori, who had always been perfectly capable of fending for himself in such situations, the young bomber could sense that this woman hadn't a chance of defending herself against the high level shinobi who were often sent after them.

There was a wetness and unmistakable feeling of something moving smoothly against Kiki's palm, almost like a tongue. Kiki looked down in sudden surprise, her face froze into a wide-eyed expression as she stared intently at their locked hands, though she still hadn't let go. In all honesty, she wasn't exactly sure if she had just imagined something moving against her palm, or if there was something she was missing.

They stopped their onward advance. She felt the wetness on her skin again, but this time it had pushed even harder against the under part of her hand until she saw something reddish-pink and worm-like peek out from between her thin fingers. She immediately pulled away, managing to put the bomber on edge as she took hold of his hand and flipped it over as to get a better look at his palm. Kiki's mouth _almost_ dropped at the strangest sight she'd seen...since Zetsu that is.

There was a fully developed mouth right in the center of his palm, equipped with lips and everything. She watched with a rising curiosity as the lightly colored tongue of the unusually placed mouth darted out from the soft, shining lips, leaving cool saliva streaks against the callused skin it encountered. Unthinkingly, Kiki reached out and rubbed her finger in the wetness the tongue had left behind, eyes widening even farther as the tongue darted out and licked eagerly at her unsuspecting finger.

It felt funny.

Deidara, for his part, stared with growing fascination and easily forgotten annoyance as the woman continued to explore his hand-mouth with a childish curiosity that compelled him to raise a skeptical brow at the sight. This was a rather rare reaction to his _deformity_ from another person who did not appear to have any abnormalities herself. Most would either cringe away from him after finding out of his defect or try to keep their eyes averted from his hands.

He was often told as a young child that they were repulsive and unnatural. Disgusting. Some of those set off by his deformity had even gone so far as to assume his father had been some sort of multi-mouthed demon, though his mother had on more than one occasion told him otherwise. Still, all the words that had been thrown at him when he was young had hurt then. They had hurt a lot, more than he'd ever admit. But now those memories just managed to get him annoyed.

Sensing the younger Akatsuki's growing unease, Kiki let go of his hand, unsure of whether or not her childish impulse had managed to make his uncomfortable. She hadn't meant to offend him in any way. She bowed her head in apology and waited for some sort of scolding or punishment to be cast upon her, sensing that he was clearly annoyed by something.

Deidara further raised his visible brow at this sudden change in behavior, only slightly annoyed at her unnaturally submissive personality. Then after a brief moment, she looked back up at him as if confused and stared deep into the depths of his piercing blue eye, pulling him in with their soft allure. He smiled charmingly, reaching out and ruffling her hair as a teacher to his young student. She was cute, he mused, while watching her blush, appearing to try to push more firmly into the touch of his hand, seeking more of the contact._ But definitely not his type_.

* * *

The sky line of the ever expanding Rain village was indeed an intimidating sight to behold, far more so than those of the villages surrounding it. Its high structures and building complexes reaching out to the heavens as if praying for salvation; or perhaps that was just an illusion set forth in the knowledge of their Kage's _divinity_. Many people of the Rain had themselves never taken time to just gaze upon the world they call home, as preoccupied with the petty trials of their lives as they were. As most are.

Unlike so many of his people though, Pein took that precious time to merely look out upon his home, his metropolis, and realize just what they possessed. He would watch with those intense ringed eyes as the sun set in the distance or rose the next day, savoring the sense of relative peace it brought him. If only for a little while.

"Pein." At the sound of Konan's light, feminine voice, Pein turned his head to look directly to the blue-haired woman as she leaned against the crumbling wall in the shadow of the open aired balcony. He himself was seated at the edge of the balcony, basking in the warm glow of the sun and silently enjoying the awe inspiring sight. "Was it wise to allow her to join the Akatsuki?" Her dark, blue eyes flickered with a near unreadable intensity which Pein took note to pay great heed to, knowing such emotions were rarely exhibited by his partner.

The Rain Kage was silent for some time as if thinking over her question, until his impassive gaze lowered to the flurry of Rain villagers crowding the streets below. Konan waited patiently, as she often had to when talking to Pein. "The Akatsuki are in need of her services." Konan's eyes caught the shine of a small jewel concealed within his hold, secured firmly within his light grasp as his fist tightened around it softly. "As for her background." His fingers opened to reveal the jewel he had in his grasp, letting it hang loosely from the thumb. "We'll leave Zetsu to that."

Pein's eyes flickered to the farthest, darkest shadows in the balcony's corner while he had finished his statement, his ring-eyed gaze sharp and shining intensely even as he moved from the sun's light to the cool shadows. Konan had also let her gaze wander to the previously hidden figure looming silently in the deepest shadows, undetected. A small, ghostly thing which almost resembled a smile crossed Pein's lips before it was once again replaced with indifference.

The Rain village leader cast one glance to his ever impassive partner and then looked back to the plant ninja's unmoved form. "Take this and find out all you can about this new arrival." Keen, ringed eyes shined in the shadows as he once again looked down to the necklace in his hand "You understand..." Zetsu nodded in acknowledgment but still did not move, nor did his yellow eyes stray from their leader's gaze.

Zetsu had not taken much notice of the necklace before, because it had only been a brief glance he'd gotten of it as she slept that morning he'd prevented her capture from the other Akatsuki, but now that he saw it in the light he knew one thing for certain; that this young woman was of an either wealthy and highly esteemed position at one point in her life or was the descendent of a long forgotten clan. It was the necklace of great beauty yes, but it was a symbol of even greater value.

The Moon's water crystal. It was said to have been lost in the destruction of the last great ninja war, lost forever in the seas of blood spilt in those hostile times. However, Zetsu recalled that in those days it had also been rumored that a survivor of one of the numerous scattered and broken clans may have managed to have saved it and then disappear from the war's wide reach. Either way, the necklace was thought to have been lost to history for all time...until now that is.

With one fluid movement, Zetsu managed to snatch the necklace from the air as it was softly tossed to him. "Hai, leader-sama." With that, Zetsu merged back to the balcony beneath him, ready to search for the answers to the unspoken questions of the mysterious woman with those beautiful eyes.

The nameless woman he'd fallen in love with...

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**Author's Note**

**Zetsu loves Kiki! Well, at least he admits it, if only to himself. (SO CUTE!!!) Besides that though, what do you think about Deidara? Of all the Akatsuki, it's his relationship to Kiki that has me the most befuddled. I mean, he can go any way really: friend, brother figure, lover, or even father figure. I guess it all depends on what random events happen from here on out. Please review...**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

**Author's note: I AM ALIVE!**

**Caution, due to circumstances this chapter will be unbeta-ed, unless of course one wishes to wait another month or so for me to somehow get this story to where my beta can fix it up. I definitely don't want to wait, and besides, I'm planning on doing a rewrite of the entire story and fixing up all the horrible spelling and grammar at a later time. :) Enjoy!

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**Kiki-The Healer**

**Chapter 21: Transformation

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It was bitterly cold with in the large airy room Kiki and Deidara entered just moments ago after a few minutes of walking silently through the darkly lit halls. It wasn't a very appealing room, but it was a bathroom nonetheless. It had crudely tilted floors that were starting to peel at the corners and dingy yellow stains around the rims, but most of all, there was a fowl smelling, rust colored stain smeared over the center tilts and across the shower walls. Kiki was slightly unnerved by the sight.

Hesitantly, she glanced up at the young bomber with an inquiring gaze, unsure of what she should do now that they were in the bathroom. Should she wait until he said something? Was he going to leave the room? Should she just get undressed and head over to the shower? Her face heated up across her cheeks and the tips of her ears. He was her husband now, so, it should be okay…to actually do stuff like that. Her hands tightened at her side as these thoughts crossed her mind.

…Then why couldn't she bring herself to do it?

This was so much worst then the sock dilemma.

Deidara noticed her growing discomfort and misinterpreted it for something else. Something the Akatsuki seemed to be doing a lot. "Hidan sure left a mess, un, the Bastard. But that can be fixed." With a swift hand-sign and a few graceful movements, Deidara used a water jutsu to remove the crusting stain from the shower walls and floor. He stepped aside and looked down at the young woman with all the charm he could muster. "My lady." He gave her that charismatic smile which would give any woman the butterflies and gestured for she to enter fully, so full of youth and smug arrogance.

For a moment, the young woman looked up at the young shinobi and tilted her head as if she didn't quite understand what he was trying to insinuate by the comment. Her eyes were soft and full of curious question when she gave him a smile and walked into the room, her head swaying from side to side as she inspected the room.

By the way she had smiled at him, Deidara knew that she didn't completely understand that he was flirting with her. _Had she caught on to his game or was it something else?_

As the young woman made her way over to the tub and inspected it with a raised brow, Deidara closed the door as softly as he could and reached into his cloak with a small smirk. "Take a seat on the toilet, facing the back." Kiki immediately turned her previously occupied gaze on the blonde and stared with utter confusion as he pulled out a kunai and began walking towards her nonchalantly. Despite not feeling any indications of_ concentrated _bloodlust on him, her eyes widened and she backed away as he came right up to her. He stared down at her as if amused by some joke he'd been playing. "You need a haircut, yeah." Another charming smile graced his lips.

Her heart had sped up and her breathing was heavier than normal, straining her dry throat. She had actually been afraid for the briefest of moments, unsure of what he'd actually been intending to do with the weapon he held. She had not been sure how to react to that situation, other than to hope he would resolve it himself.

She may have been able to sense emotions, but she was not a mind reader. No, like everyone else she could only assume what people were thinking. And that was the problem…

…Shinobi made everything difficult, since the general emotions attached to specific events were often hidden by well practiced masks and she couldn't always decipher whether it was the shinobi feeling the sensations or if they were her own emotions surfacing.

She frowned up at him with a vaguely unappreciative look at having been messed with, but did as she had been told and took a seat on the toilet seat facing towards the back so Deidara could better reach her hair. She was wary. She'd never had her haircut before, and the thought of having a sharp, pointed object used for killing so close to her head made her feel uncomfortable.

She was not stupid. She knew he could kill her any moment he pleased, and there wouldn't be a thing she could do about it. But that didn't scary her, not really. She had died many times. What she did fear was being locked up in this dark place, alone, if she displeased him.

She didn't want to be alone anymore…

Her hair was oily and grungy when his fingers began to stroke through it, untangling the hoard of knots hidden abundantly throughout her curls, and thick. Her hair was incredibly thick and long. It was longer than his own and he frowned at the thought of just how time consuming it would be to find every knot if he continued at the pace he was. He was being gentle and slow, trying not to scare her away from this sort of interaction by pulling or yanking on her hair too roughly.

Curiously, she tried to reach up and feel what he was doing with her hair, but she withdrew fingers when he gave her knuckles a warning flick. She did not try again, instead gritted her teeth and concentrated on blocking out the sting of having her hair pulled ever which way the bomber shinobi needed, jolting a series of tingles that made her scalp itch. She was perfectly silent, fighting not to pull her head away as she felt small hairs being pulled from the back of her neck.

Then she felt the kunai being brushed down her hair in long strokes, smooth and perfectly steady in his grasp. She felt the blade push up against her neck and back, and sweat began to build on the inside of her palms. She closed her eyes and hoped dearly that Deidara was as good with his knife play as she thought he was. Cold sweat crept up the back of her neck each time she felt the cold steel of the blade against her skin.

She did not want to see anymore of her blood stained on the floors of these halls. Just the memory of that earlier experience made her feel lightheaded.

With the soft rush of air crossed over her back she realized with a jolt that he had cut a straight line across the bottom ends of her hairline, shortening it by a few inches. A little too stunned by the speed of his action, she looked back to look down at the heap of dark brown hair laying uselessly on the floor, shining dimly in the light. She stared for the better part of a minute, lost in her thoughts, until her eyes eased up to meets his.

His brilliant blue eyes were overflowing with pride over his work, and she could feel his satisfaction seep into the deepest part of her being, embracing her. She had help to achieve that, and she felt a surge of warmth perch within the inner workings of her heart.

A charming smirk slid across the smooth skin of his lips, shining daringly in the light. Her eyes were subconsciously drawn to them for the briefest of seconds, but he missed the look. "You already look like a work of art." He turned her around on the seat and took hold her over hand. "Now for the nails, yeah." He still had the kunai in his grasp.

Now, it was not uncommon for Kiki to pull out sticky black substances from under her nails when she would on occasion look down and notice the dirt and grime had accumulated, but this was a bit much she'd think. Using a deadly weapon to remove such unharmful things from her nails as if it were an enemy. Strange use of weaponry, she thought while she watched with vague surprise as Deidara traced his kunai under the rims of her nails and wiped the nail boogers onto a dirty cloth laying uselessly on the ground; probably left there by Hidan. Hey, it got the job done.

"Now…" Deidara said with a small smirk, apparently amused, but also disturbed by her utter lack of knowledge in such common activities as grooming. "I trust you can bath your self, un." His blue eyes watched down at her with a bit of disappointment when she gave a brief and hesitant nod in confirmation, the faintest tint of red gracing her thin cheeks. She looked so delicate in that moment, with her eyes hooded over in a tired stare and her cheeks flushed in shyness, and Deidara had to wonder yet again why such a person would be allowed into Akatsuki.

What the hell was leader thinking!

The red in her cheeks grew darker when she glanced up into his face and saw him staring down at her with a strange expression of concentration in his eyes. Her lips tightened, eyes focusing in on Deidara as if trying to decipher something that she couldn't quite grasp. His actions and his emotional state confused her greatly due to the conflicting messages within them. While on the outside he showed interest in her in ways only her demon had ever seemed to for so long, inside he always seemed to regard her presence with amusement or annoyance and always with an underline curiosity. She understood that this was what one would call deceit, but even in this knowledge she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.

Steadying her fidgety hands as best she could Kiki stood up from the toilet seat and glanced shyly at the door, her lips pulled into a firm line as she waited for his reaction. She tensed just the slightest bit when Deidara raised a single brow, feeling the uncertainty lingering in the back of her mind pushing forward once again. Something in his posture put her on edge, but the moment a charming smirk slid across his lips she loosened up and watched with faint curiosity as the young ninja gave a small wave and headed out the door. He didn't say anything as she might have expected, but in that silence something about the young bomber became very clear: he was not what he appeared to be.

Her head tilted in curiosity at the discovery, out of habit, and stared at the door for a few more seconds, lost in her thoughts. She started to zone out temporarily, forgetting why she was even in the bathroom area, until a drifting thought crossed her mind and all but ripped her from her silent thoughts. She felt a small wave of cold sensation sweep through her as she turned back, staring blankly at the hair scattered carelessly across the floor. It did not scare her, nor did it make her sad that she had lost a part of herself, but it made her feel…odd. For the first time since Deidara had cut it she touched her hair, gently, as if he would burst into the room and scold her if she did so. It felt smooth, neat, but also very, very oily. Her had can back slippery and smelling of something unpleasant. She needed that bath.

A little hesitantly, she began removing her clothes with much uncertainty, letting the blood encrusted pants she had on slip uselessly to the floor. She picked up the pants right after and cringed when a blood smear appeared on the floor where it had been. A shiver made its way though her body, but she ignored it. Then came her jacket. She looked down and saw the ripped and blood covered cloth sticking firmly to her belly, showing clearly the way her body had become disfigured by fatigue. Had she not been use to the sight, she would have cringed. She reached to the rim of her jacket, pulling it down lightly, and reached her hand down the nap of her neck, searching.

She nearly fainted at the discovery.

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The bath had been pleasant to say the least, but the whole while she could not even find it in herself to feel happy by the notion of finally being clean after being in a constant of filth for so long. She wanted to relax and just enjoy the moment, she really did, but every time she look down, and found that her necklace was still gone, the pain would rise in her heart. She had lost it. The only thing she had left of her mother and she had lost it. The guilt and the unrest she felt shook her to her core and she- despite her best attempts at telling her self that it didn't matter, that she'd always survived when life threw new obstacles at her- could not convince herself that she was okay. Again…she wanted to cry.

But she held them back as best as she could, the tears that threatened to take her, to consume her with their traitorous ways. The burning at the corners at her eyes were burning as they always did when she was at the edge of tears, but this time the pain was much more intense. Her vision was blearing over, distorting the world round her and blending the colors of the room into one big splat of vague outlines. The warmth of the bath water did not help, only pushed her further and further to the edge. The first warm line of warmth that escaped down her cheek was the hardest, and then came another, and another, and another. She couldn't hold it back anymore, the flood of emotions which took her was too great, and for the first time in since that morning not so long ago in the wheat fields, she let them fall, and fall, and fall, and fall.

For the first time since she had first encountered the Akatsuki, she wept. She wept for the pain and the confusion and the stress. She wept for all those things and so much more and yet did not know why she was weeping so wretchedly when her life had always been filled with those things. Her hands came her face and wiped at the tears, trying to hide them. Even if no one was there with her to see them, she did not want to show how weak she was: she did not want to have to be reminded of her own shortcomings. So she closed her eyes, and let herself sink under the water. There she was _safe_; there she would not have to see; there she could close her eyes and tell herself that they were only a few in a vast ocean of tears.

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Dead end after dead end; this was not something Zetsu was accustom to encountering in his endless searches for truths and lies, but here he was, struggling to make connections regarding the woman's secretive past and identity. It was almost disheartening for the spy to look down to the small necklace and know that even in his most passionate efforts, he was drawing up blanks as too where he could find information about her- those rumors about what she could do counted little in this investigation, since it was quite obvious once one met the woman as they had.

The only bit of information he had managed to scrounge up was that she was often seen around the land of fire and perhaps had origins around there. For most that would seem like a significant piece of information, but Zetsu knew all too well that it was just as likely to be coincidence that an actual piece of evidence in the simple reason that he had seen how the young woman had been living and knew what was expected from such background.

Zetsu kept in mind that as a wonderer, constantly outside and at the mercy of the elements, it would be in her best interest to keep to more hospitable areas where food was more plentiful and the overall weather was relatively temperate. The Fire country just so happened to find into these categories, with vast forests and wild game for consumption and fairly warm nights in the summer. It was perhaps the best place for a young traveler to spend much of their year during the harsher months.

Zetsu frowned, though it was unseen by any of the passersby walking unknowingly above him. At that moment, he was encased deep underground beneath one of the busiest areas of the Leaf village, just waiting for even the slightest tidbit of information to slip from an unsuspecting mouth that could help him in his search for answers. If there was ever a place to gather information of strange happenings or newly discovered abilities, it was the hidden villages, and since she had allegedly spent so much time in the area, surely someone must have heard something useful.

The Leaf village is so vulnerable to his scrutiny: not a single shinobi of the region had yet to sense him lurking about under their feet, and it would be so easy for him to simply reach out and kill a few roaming citizens with no one the wiser as to who could have done it. It was pitiful to be truthful. The thought just crossed Zetsu's mind on a whim, a flickering of thought, but that thought brought other thoughts to mind; the nameless woman. He wondered how she was doing, trapped within a damp cave, secluded from the outside world she so loved, and no doubt in the presence of her new partner. He cringed at the thought.

He would have loved to have her as a partner, she having been the first person he held any sort of connection to, but he knew that was an illogical for the Akatsuki's goals. They, the Zetsus, were already a sufficient spy who worked best on their own and having the young woman with them would only slow them down and become a definite liability to their work. A tinge of something close to guilt drummed lightly at his heart, but not enough to provoke an expression. He hoped- for the first time for someone other then themselves- he hoped that his leader had saw it fit to take some lenience on the young woman and place her with one of the more tolerable of the Akatsuki. Hopefully not Hidan: _Defiantly not Hidan_.

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**Author's note:**

**It's been far too long since I last updated, but with the discovery of a new Internet source after months of being deprived- school policies have banned the usage of computers for anything other than school work- I have kicked myself in the butt and gotten this chapter done in record time. NOW I MUST WRITE MORE! XD**


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